His great-great grandmother Adele V. Holman, a pioneering entrepreneur and professional singer, founded Adjustable Clamp in 1903. Her new company began manufacturing “J” style wood handscrews following the clamp design of cabinetmaker Hans Jorgensen. Adjustable Clamp’s legacy provides a fascinating example of 20th-century American manufacturing, and you can read an extensive account of its history and founder by clicking here.

In the year that’s passed since Adjustable Clamp shuttered its operations, the future of Jorgensen and Pony products has seemed altogether uncertain. Recently, however, Woodworker’s Journal has learned that both Jorgensen and Pony brands will, in fact, continue forward under new ownership. The assets have been purchased by GreatStar Industrial, based in Hangzhou, China. The company, which announced the acquisition on May 9, is a leading manufacturer of hand tools in Asia, serving DIY, professional and industrial markets worldwide. It also manufactures a full range of specialty tools for drywall, masonry, painting, tiling, plumbing and automotive applications, as well as power tools, tool sets and flashlights.

“From the beginning, Adele insisted that the Adjustable Clamp Company would always deliver excellent quality products at the best value,” says Gene Smith, director of sales for the new Adjustable Jorgensen and Pony Clamp, LLC. “Now, after five generations of Holman family ownership and over one hundred years later, a new era has begun, a new corporate organization has taken over the ownership … to assure that same excellence of quality and value.”

Smith was with the former Adjustable Clamp Company for 27 years, serving in sales, marketing and product development roles.

“Now working with Adjustable Jorgensen and Pony Clamp LLC, I’m bringing my years of experience and extensive product knowledge to ensure that equal high quality found in both Pony and Jorgensen will continue.”

Smith says that GreatStar is the largest manufacturer and supplier of hand tools and the world’s ninth largest forklift company. “It’s leading the way on lasers and measuring products as well as robotics technology,” he adds.

Some of GreatStar’s other brands include Goldblatt®, Sheffield®, Everbrite®, Miller Falls® and Safety Pro®. On May 3 of this year, GreatStar also entered into an agreement to acquire Arrow Fastener Company from its parent company, Masco Corporation. Arrow manufactures T50 staple guns, staples, nailers and other tools in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. A news release from Arrow announcing the acquisition indicates that Arrow will continue to manufacture and distribute its products from the New Jersey facility.

Smith reports that GreatStar Industrial USA, LLC, is based out of Huntersville, North Carolina. He says there are no current plans to resume manufacturing of Jorgensen and Pony products in the Chicago area. Additionally, the Holman family is no longer associated with the company.

Smith would not offer further comment regarding details surrounding the Chicago closure or whether GreatStar was affiliated with the Adjustable Clamp Company prior to May 2016 when it closed.

GreatStar’s new line of Jorgensen and Pony products will be available in August. Readers also may appreciate knowing that many former products will be among these offerings. Smith says a sampling of those include Jorgensen handscrews, bar clamps, clamp pads, bench dogs, miter boxes/saws and woodworker’s vises. Within the Pony brand, there will be three-way edging clamps, band clamps, C-clamps, spring and hold-down clamps, clamp fixtures and pads, corner and framing clamps, press screws, vises and cabinet claws.

Additionally, Smith says that GreatStar, “eager to meet the 113-year standards of best quality at the greatest value,” is continuing to use Adjustable Clamp’s original equipment to produce Pony and Jorgensen tools.

“Our team of engineers and designers are also working on new and innovative woodworking tools, and we will release further detailed information as it becomes available.”

With the former Adjustable Clamp Company now defunct, some customers have voiced concern online about previous Jorgensen and Pony product warranties that might no longer be in effect. But, Smith assures that as part of its pledge to deliver quality and customer satisfaction, “we will honor the warranties applied to previous Pony/Jorgensen products.” Any and all rules related to proof of purchase and return policies will still apply to products purchased through Adjustable Clamp Company (dba Pony Tools Incorporated). Inquiries should be sent to JORGENSENandPONY@outlook.com.

Looking ahead, Smith hopes woodworkers and DYIers will be assured that these venerable brands will continue forward with the same quality and reliability they’ve always had.

“Just like the trusted tools that parents would hope they could pass down to their children, the Pony and Jorgensen brands will last the test of time for generations to come,” Smith says. “We believe that Adele V. Holman would be just as pleased to see today’s Jorgensen and Pony branded products as she was of her own products over a century ago.”

A complete listing of Pony and Jorgensen’s catalog will be available later this summer at www.ponytools.com, when updates to the company website are finalized.

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DeWALT Breakaway Reciprocating Saw Blades

The 6-in. Breakaway Blade breaks into a 4-in. blade, which allows up to 1-in.-thick material to be cut. The 9-in. version breaks off into a 6-in. blade, which allows up to 2-in. material to be cut. Both blade sizes have a thick bi-metal body for durability: DeWALT reports them to have a 20 percent thicker kerf than its standard reciprocating saw blades. They feature a 14/18 variable tooth-pattern for optimized cuts in a variety of metal-cutting applications.

DeWALT’s new Breakaway Reciprocating Saw Blades currently are being sold in eight- and 10-piece kits ($24.99 and $29.99) that include quantities of both lengths and a plastic storage case.

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The multipurpose 4.2 lb. saw accepts standard reciprocating and jigsaw blades, so you can cut wood, PVC pipe, plastic, fiberglass, ceramic tile, aluminum, copper, thin steel and even tree limbs and roots. Rough-in work, molding and drywall cuts, craft projects, plumbing, HVAC applications and electrical work are all possible with one tool.

Its side-mounted motor rotates simultaneously with the gearing. That eliminates the possibility of slippage or misalignment, resulting in a smooth, constant transfer of power, for a more efficient cut. Orbital cutting settings and a 3/4-in. stroke length improve efficiency further.

User-friendly features include a quick-release, tool-less blade holder that makes blade changing easy, as well as a built-in blower and LED light to help ensure good visibility to the cutting line during use.

Included with the tool are one battery and charger, plus two jigsaw and two reciprocating saw blades for metal and wood. The WORX 20V Axis Multi-purpose Saw (item WX550L) sells for $99.99 and is covered by a three-year warranty.

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Rob Johnstone: You are correct that the task is ripe with the possibility that you will not get all four legs exactly the same length. But with that said, don’t let the challenge get the best of you. Just mark the lengths carefully, measuring from the same point on the stool (be it from the bottom or the top of the legs) and carefully make the cuts. If it goes well, everything is Jake. If not, place the stool on a dead flat surface (like a cast-iron table saw top) and find out which leg is the offender. You can almost always make it right by adjusting just one of the legs. I do this with a sander … I just take my time and sand off the longest one a bit at a time until it sits properly.

Tim Inman: There is an underlying assumption here coupled with a reality that makes everything else irrelevant. This is where principles and practices collide. You are correct in your definition of a plane. Any three points will define the plane’s surface. If all four legs of the chair are not exactly the same length, then only two or three of them will contact the plane at any one time. If you are super accurate in your workmanship and use a perfectly flat surface plate to gauge and test your work, you might be able to get all four legs the same length so they will touch the surface plate’s plane at the same time.

BUT, floors are almost never flat! So even if you do get the “perfect” job of joinery accomplished, the chair will still probably be tippy when it is in service on site. The floors are not flat. Then, even if the floor is flat, the seat board on the chair may warp over time pulling the leg length out of spec. If the chair is sitting on a carpeted floor, the compression factor will allow the chair to seem like it is sitting with equal weight on each leg — but it isn’t.

Why does grandma’s old squeaky chair sit flat on all fours? Because the joints are loose and they move to accommodate pressure on the joints. I’ve repaired hundreds and hundreds of chairs over the years (maybe thousands!). I’ve been through this discussion so many times. After my rock-solid repaired chair goes home, it is “tippy.” Customer brings chair back and sets it on my perfectly flat ground cast-iron proofing table (my table saw). Chair is perfect. We explain why the chair is tippy at home. We show the customer the chair can be tippy on my concrete shop floor, too. Customer is okay with the work and the repair, but wishes the old chair could still be repaired and somehow still “fit” the floors like it did before. You can’t have it both ways.

Work to 1/32-in. tolerances, get the joints solid and tight, and then go fishing. You’re as close as you’re going to need to be — and anything more just gives headaches and makes the chair unnecessarily shorter — again and again.

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– Dan Martin, WOCO

See the Gallery Below:

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“So, are you going to publish photos of these wondrous lures?  I’ll be in northern Wisconsin (Hayward area) in August and could use some ideas.” – Andrew Volk

In answer to your request, here is a photo. As for instructions for making them? Rob said he just “winged it.”

We also got this reader response to a recent question about filling a hollow tabletop with epoxy. – Editor

“I just completed an epoxy inlay picture frame. I made a two-groove frame with Green Bay Packer ‘green and gold’ to hold a photo of my wife and I with Packer great Bart Starr. I used casting epoxy from my hobby supply store. It takes about 12 hours to set, there are no heat issues, and there are a vast array of tinting colors to choose from. All products are compatible and finish sanding was not a problem.” – Mark G. Ellenbecker

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