This was the design challenge Barry Schwaiger took to task two years ago when he launched his new company, Monarch Industrial, Inc. Schwaiger, a lifelong woodworker, also used to work for one of the leading tool manufacturers, so he’s is no stranger to the engineering conundrums that woodworking machinery presents.

“I became a ‘golfer getting to work in a golf club factory’ when I went to work for Powermatic in the late 90s. I spent 15 years doing product development on the cast-iron stuff,” Schwaiger recalls.

Three years ago, he left Powermatic to pursue several independent businesses — one, selling indigenous hardwoods and flooring to woodworkers in central Tennessee, where he lives, and the other to start up Monarch Industrial, his new tooling and manufacturing venture.

Schwaiger says that while Monarch will be serving some industrial customers, the second prong of his business model will be to develop truly innovative products for hobbyist and professional woodworkers. It seems the “golfer” in Schwaiger now owns the golf club company. And the drivers or putters he intends to make will be like no others on the market.

“Since Monarch is family-owned, with no external investors or boards of directors to answer to, we have the autonomy to chase practical solutions versus commerce objectives. If a product doesn’t first satisfy our own discerning eye as well as a host of other confidants in the woodworking world, then we simply will not pursue that idea,” Schwaiger explains.

And so it is with the new Monarch Gauge for tensioning band saw blades. It functions differently from the two common options we have for setting blade tension, which break down into either the integrated system within the band saw itself or aftermarket accessories.

“Integrated gauges, which typically work off the compression of the upper wheel spring, are just inherently clunky,” Schwaiger says. “They are indirectly indicating the tension of a blade and have introduced several variables, such as the upper wheel spring, the wheel itself, tires, tension slide mechanism, etc. All of these things just get you further away from the true measurement you are trying to get, which is: ‘What is going on with the actual blade?’”

Aftermarket tensioning gauges, on the other hand, focus primarily on how much a blade stretches under tension, which is a miniscule amount. It takes a sensitive and expensive instrument to measure this tension accurately. Most of these are based on dial indicators, which are better suited for machinists than hobbyist woodworkers.

“Most often a woodworker will find a more pressing need in the shop before they will purchase one of those instruments,” Schwaiger adds.

The inspiration for the Monarch Gauge is based on one of the methods many woodworkers use to “test” their level of blade tension, and maybe you do it this way too: pressing on the side of the blade to see how much it deflects from flat. The other method some of us use is to pluck the blade and evaluate tension based on the audible ring.

“Both of these techniques are certainly a subjective approach to something that can be standardized,” Schwaiger says. “Simply putting some repeatable mechanics to the ‘thumb’ test was the motivation (for the Monarch Gauge) in its simplest form.”

Here’s how the gauge works: Two stainless-steel plates pivot past one another and are connected by a tensioning spring. One plate has a pointer indicator, and the other has a numeric scale. The gauge clips to the blade with three pins — two straddle it on one side, and the third presses against it on the other side, under spring tension.

“The center pin is connected to an arm that exaggerates its movement to a scale that can be read for an indication of the ‘Monarch number.’”

Schwaiger says the numbers on the scale are arbitrary and do not correlate to a particular unit of measure. It’s intended to be a new frame of reference for setting blade tension and eliminates other complicated metrics related to PSI, pounds of force of a spring, small fractions of blade strain and so forth. Instead, the goal here is for a user to start with a blade tension that works well for them and then use the Monarch Gauge to check what that tension preference is — its Monarch number.

“Over the years, we have found that there is a broad range in what experienced users recommend for tension. Some are advocates for lower tension and others, higher tensions. In order to stay neutral on that front, we suggest to a user to find what works well for them in a particular application and then make a quick measurement and write the Monarch number on their blade box or inside door of their band saw,” Schwaiger says.

The jig’s instruction manual comes with a chart and suggestions for blade tensions over a continuum of blade sizes, for those users who do not have a “sweet spot” of blade tension already. It can serve as a starting point for finding the optimal Monarch number.

The Monarch Gauge sells for $79.99 in one version that will work for a full range of blade widths and compositions, from 1/8 in. up to 1 in. wide. The only caveat is that a saw must have a resaw capacity (vertical distance between the table and the upper blade guides raised to the highest level) of at least 5 in., in order for the Gauge to clip to the blade properly. Schwaiger adds that the gauge has even been tested on large portable sawmills and horizontal metalworking saws. “In each example we have found, the gauge reports a Monarch number that can be referenced and repeated in the future,” he adds.

Schwaiger hopes that the benefits of predictable blade performance, along with the possibility of longer blade life, will make the new Monarch Gauge a welcomed — and affordable — addition to any woodworking shop.

And aside from bringing a practical woodworking accessory to market, Schwaiger is also pleased to announce that it is an American-made product.

“I spent quite a few years in the corporate world engaged in transferring U.S.-made products to the Far East. While the economics of the time dictated such a shift, it never really felt quite right. Now that I have the ability to direct Monarch’s vision, I want to spend the second half of my career doing the opposite. There is such capability here in the States, and it feels so satisfying to call up a U.S. supplier with an order and support American families. That makes it all worth it.”

Learn more about Monarch Industrial, Inc., and the new Monarch Gauge by clicking here.

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Available this month, the new Lockback Pocket Knife (item 48-22-1940) is priced at $14.99 through Milwaukee Tool retailers and online.

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The kit features four powder-coated steel corner pieces with wheels. You supply a piece of plywood to fit inside them, forming the base structure for your machine. All the other necessary installation hardware is included. The base’s corner pieces will accept up to two thicknesses of 3/4-in. plywood, for maximum strength. Their 3-in. hard rubber wheels raise a machine just 1-in. from the floor. Foot-operated levers on the pair of “steerable” wheels lift the machine for rolling or rest the base on adjustable feet to park it. Load limit on the base is 400 lbs.

The size of the base you make is limited only by the plywood dimensions you use. Move jointers, band saws, lathes, table saws, sanders, drill presses, planers and more. You’ll be able to open up space for more effective productivity, better organization and safety.

Portamate’s PM-1100 Universal Mobile Base sells for $65.

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Rob Johnstone: While I am not an expert on design software, I think SketchUp is likely your best bet. I think there are some dedicated kitchen design software programs, but I’ve heard that they are pretty limiting (and, in truth, I have not used them). On the flip side, your learning curve for SketchUp could be offset by the rich amount of instructional material available. Also, there are free online libraries where you can grab other people’s drawings of hinges, doors, drawer slide hardware and so forth, and use them in your own designs. They are real timesavers. I found a couple of websites that have some reasonable dimensions for kitchen cabinetry, but I would personally recommend getting a book by Danny Proulx: Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets. There you can find dimensions and advice. It is not a new book, but as a primer for designing kitchen cabinetry, it is very good.

Tim Inman: I’m an old guy and I love to use drafting tools and paper. I “think” better that way. I’m also a tech guy and I use computers a lot. So, I’m not anti-software. My personal experience, though, is this: unless you are going to do a lot of drafting via software, you’ll spend hours trying to figure out how to manipulate the programs and neglect the design essentials. For now, as you learn woodworking and seek to enhance your skills in that world, I would forego the additional learning curve of software mastery. Others will surely disagree. But pencils and paper and rulers and compasses are still viable tools in my world. There is so much to learn and know about good design. I heartily encourage you to spend your time studying the classic pieces and maybe even trying to reproduce them from available working drawings before you branch out into computer software. Software engineers are seldom furniture designers. They seem to me to be so “geeky” about how their software works they overlook the ultimate task it is seeking to accomplish — namely, the easy and efficient communication of good plans for good works.

Chris Marshall: While I agree with Tim that there’s nothing wrong with tried-and-true drafting tools and paper (they still work, after all!), I do think learning a woodworker-friendly software like SketchUp does make sense. Once you’ve got the basic skills down, the ability to render your drawings in three dimensions, rotate them, pull them apart, create cross-sections and build cut lists does save time. And, the basic version of SketchUp is free! It’s also easy to make changes to a drawing and print it out again, or even save old drawings and re-use components in future drawings — that’s tough to do if you’re drawing everything by hand and from scratch. So, if time is on your side, and you are patient, I suggest trying to learn SketchUp. Given the huge popularity of SketchUp, there are so many resources and user forums to help you. These days, I think it’s safe to say that SketchUp has become the woodworking choice for a CAD program.

And since Rob mentioned a cabinetry book, I’ll suggest another one I’ve found very useful in the past: Bob Lang’s The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker. Bob is a no-nonsense guy and an excellent woodworker with a background in cabinetry. The book is a straightforward and helpful read, covering all aspects of cabinet design and construction, plus style variations to consider. It’s definitely a good one to add to your library.

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-Scott White

See the Gallery Below:

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“I used to manage a lumber/hardware store as well as work at one of those ‘big box’ stores. I could always tell when a customer was coming back. I actually won a bet or two with a few customer returns. So don’t take it out too much on the hardware employee; they need a little fun in their life, too.” – Tony Grunch

“Although I am new behind the counter of my local hardware store, I have been a customer there for 40 years. We don’t take bets, but we pretty much know who’ll be back and how many times. Depends on the project, the person and the phase of the moon.” – Sam Slack

“I worked in a hardware store for a few years and the rule was at least three trips to get it right. Thanks for the confirmation.” – David Leitz

“Not sure if your question was rhetorical or not, but the answer is most assuredly “YES!” Hardware folks do make bets about who will be back multiple times in the day. I grew up working at my parents’ hardware store in Massachusetts, and I vividly remember which customers would be in multiple times on a Saturday. The best were the times the husband would get fed up or embarrassed and send his wife for the final trip!” – Rich Lucas

“One day, after a particularly trying plumbing repair to my mother’s ‘older’ home, I asked the salesman if bets were being taken. He said ‘yes,’ especially on plumbing repairs. In my case, it started with a leaky faucet and ended up with re-piping the cold water all the way back to the meter.” – Steven Vaughn

“My neighbor owns the local hardware store and he tells me that they figure that the average weekend electrical job requires the homeowner to make three trips to the store while a plumbing project requires a total of four trips.  And there is usually a return/exchange for a correct part involved.” – Kurt Van Dahm

Some eZine readers also told their tales of their own multiple hardware trips. – Editor

“My trip to the hardware store happened shortly after I moved into my first apartment. I needed a sheet of glass but had not thought to remember the size before I left my apartment (which was only a block away). Being a young man long on confidence and short on skill (brains), I bought a large sheet of glass and a glass cutting tool. What could be so hard about cutting glass? I watched my shop teacher do it, and it looked easy. Later that day, I returned to the hardware store with several large bandages on my hands to get a piece of glass cut to size. The guy at the hardware store couldn’t contain his laughter.” – Alden Snyder

“I measure small home improvement jobs, not in time, but in trips to the hardware store. If, after three trips, I¹ve met with success, I¹m usually happy.” – David Mitchell

“I am relieved that I am not the only ‘true craftsman’ that just loves to visit the hardware store while building a project. I am further encouraged that my trips typically are limited to two for wood related projects. Now plumbing? That’s a minimum of six trips. The ‘plumber guy’ has been on my Christmas card list for some time.” – T. Newman

“A wise hardwarian once told me, ‘Electricians make two trips, plumbers make three.’ I can beat the odds on that with wiring, but not with plumbing. Maybe if plumbing made more use of the table saw…” – Mark Willis

“In my hometown, we had a close, privately owned hardware store. One day when my husband was at work, the garbage disposal clogged up, again. I tore it apart, threw the disposal out in the garage. It hit the wall. I then went to the hardware store and told them what I had done. They called some guy to the counter, told him. He sold me a kit, explained how to do it, and told me to draw and measure what I had left. I did and had the drain completely fixed (without disposal) before my husband came home. They knew us!” – Roberta Moreton

“First off, I live in the country. Second, I am a G.C., a residential general contractor, that is licensed. On my own home/farmstead, and I will attempt to do the plumbing. However, I will not start a repair unless the hardware store is open and I have most of the day to fix the problem. I really don’t like making many trips into town. Nine miles to town and nine back. However, it is not uncommon for me to make three to four trips to get whatever problem I am working on fixed. Most of the people in the hardware store know me on a first name basis. The owner of the store just smiles.” – Neal Schwabauer

“I’ve made multiple trips to the hardware store on multiple occasions buying multiples of things I already had but couldn’t find, thus multiplying the multiple quantities of once-in-a-lifetime usage items in my garage. I’d buy a box of #6 X ¾-inch wood screws, get home and decide that what I really needed were the #8 X 1-inch wood screws which I, of course, did not have enough of either.  I’ve gone to buy a box of widgets that I couldn’t find because in the past I placed them in a special drawer/bin/cubby with confidence that I would know where to find them next time I needed them.  Then, when determining where to store the recently purchased widgets so I could find them the next time I needed them, I’d find where I put the first batch.  So, instead of 9 widgets I now have 18!  I’ve also gone to the store to buy a router bit that I was certain I did not have only to return home to find the exact router bit in my router bit case.  Did I return it?  And endure the humiliation from the guys behind the counter at the woodworker’s store?  Heck no!  So, if you need a 90-degree veining router bit, I’ve got six!” – Larry Schuh

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