Tag Archives: Jameel Abraham

Jameel Abraham: Benchcrafted Tools

This Iowa-born toolmaker, woodworker and luthier strives for perfection.

By Steve Shanesy
Pages 46-52

Family has clearly played an important role in the development of Iowa-born woodworker and toolmaker Jameel Abraham. In 2006, Jameel, along with his brother, Father John Abraham (an Orthodox priest), and their father founded Benchcrafted – makers of a handful of high-quality, primarily workbench-related products including leg and tail vises and a Moxon-style benchtop vise.

But family influences run much deeper than the relatively recent origins of Benchcrafted. Jameel traces his woodworking interests to both of his grandfathers, who he describes as “serious hobbyists.” He fondly remembers spending time in the shop with both, and watching many an episode of Norm Abram’s “The New Yankee Workshop” and Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop” with his maternal grandfather. Who knows – this may partially account for Jameel’s mastery of both hand and power tools.

There is also a strong tradition of operating a family business. His father started a beeswax candle making business that Fr. John continues to oversee while also helping out with the Benchcrafted business. And until Benchcrafted began to consume all his time, Jameel worked in that business, too. Family influences and obligations aside, the accomplishments of this 38-year-old craftsman are keenly driven by a native sense of engineering and a self-imposed drive for excellence.

Web site: Check out the Benchcrafted site and blog. You’ll also find a link there to Jameel Abraham’s extensive blog about the oud.
Article: Go online to read our review of Benchcrafted’s Glide Leg Vise.
Video: See the oud being played and discover the beautiful sound of this ancient instrument.
Video: See a clip of the new Benchcrafted Crisscross vise mechanism in action.
To Buy: Popular Woodworking Magazine April 2011 (#189) with Jameel’s article ”Precision Inlay, Simple Tools.”
In Our Store: Find books and videos by Christopher Schwarz on bench design and construction. Read more »

Special Issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine for November 2012

Our publishing schedule is pretty straightforward, except for the confusing parts. We put out an issue every other month, starting in February. But the February issue is really January/February so it comes out at the end of December, the month before the cover date. Then there is an issue for April, June and August. But … Read more »

How to Make ‘Condor Tails’

An ingenious way to combine routers, a band saw and hand tools for big dovetails.

By Jameel Abraham
Pages: 48-53

I know what you’re thinking: “Another opinion on how to cut dovetails.” I hear you. But this one’s different. I promise. No back and forth over pins or tails first. No Rob Cosman vs. Frank Klausz. Well, actually a little Klausz.

SLIDESHOW: See a slideshow of this process with additional steps.
ARTICLE: Read a review of the Benchcrafted vise hardware.
WEB SITE: Visit Jameel’s web site for ouds and workbenches.
TO BUY: “Dovetail Mastery” with Charles Bender.
IN OUR STORE: “The Workbench Design Book” by Christopher Schwarz. Read more »

Precision Inlay, Simple Tools

A few shop-made appliances allow you to add stunning face-grain inlay to your work.

By Jameel Abraham
pages 38-43

From the April 2011 issue #189
Buy this issue now

Geometric bandings and inlay patterns, or parquetry, are widely used, from Japan to Egypt to Spain. I developed a method of creating parquetry while learning to build ouds, a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the European lute and modern guitar.

The method can be employed to make bandings and inlays from as little as two species of wood, one at a time, to more detailed patterns using multiple layers to produce several copies of the same pattern. The designs I most frequently use create the illusion of dimension, as if the pattern were a flexible ribbon, folding, twisting and turning along its length. These patterns are fun to design and make, and can richly embellish any project.

Web site: See some of Jameel’s amazing ouds on his web site.
Web site: Visit the Benchcrafted web site.
Article: Read about Jameel’s Jointmaker Pro method for inlay.
To buy: See the Czech Edge chisel Jameel commissioned for this work.
In our store: “Fundamentals of Inlay” DVD, by Steve Latta.

From the April 2011 issue #189
Buy this issue now
Read more »

Jameel Abraham’s Jointmaker Pro Inlay Method

For wide pieces shown in Jameel Abraham’s “Precision Inlay, Simple Tools” (Popular Woodworking Magazine, April 2011 #189) he used the Bridge City Toolworks Jointmaker Pro. Here’s his method:

You may notice a few of the pieces in the article are unusually wide, much wider in fact than the miter box and miter jack could handle. These were cut with the Bridge City Toolworks Jointmaker Pro.

I was attending a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event in Chicago in early 2008 when I first saw the prototype of the JMP. Bridge City founder John Economaki was demonstrating the tool and I knew immediately that I had to have one for producing these inlays. Read more »