# Shop Talk Live 17: How Your Hand Tools Are Made

- Show: [Shop Talk Live](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live)
- Published: 2012-10-11
- Length: 1h 17m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made
- Listen: https://shoptalklive.libsyn.com/shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made

## Summary

Asa Christiana visits Lee Valley Tools and its Veritas manufacturing arm in Canada, interviewing President Robin Lee and product designer Steve Jones about their North American production of high-end hand tools. They discuss the company's history, its 35th anniversary, and specific innovations like the PMV-11 powdered metal steel, the NX nickel-resist ductile iron, and nylon-glass composite saw spines. The episode highlights the use of 3D printing for rapid prototyping, CNC machining, and a highly automated tooling system to maintain quality and affordability in a small-batch manufacturing environment.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=7) Introduction: Asa Christiana's visit to Lee Valley/Veritas
- [5:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=340) Manufacturing overview: 3D printing and automated tooling
- [9:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=544) Robin Lee on Lee Valley's history and the Veritas brand
- [24:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=1469) Supply chain challenges and North American sourcing
- [34:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=2089) Product design philosophy: Vintage inspiration and innovation
- [44:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=2680) The future of woodworking and manual skills
- [53:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=3228) Steve Jones on prototyping and the PMV-11 steel
- [1:15:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made#t=4504) Shop Stumpers segment and listener comments

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Lee Valley Tools (company)
- Veritas (product)
- PMV-11 (material)
- NX (product)
- DX (product)
- Jack Rabbit (product)
- 3D printer (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [46: The Only Way Out Is Through](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2018-12-21-46-the-only-way-out-is-through) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [503: It’s Made Me a More Fearless Maker](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2025-10-31-503-its-made-me-a-more-fearless-maker) (Making It)
- [AM as a Moat: How Annihilator Created a Competitive Advantage in Broadhead Manufacturing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-08-25-am-as-a-moat-how-annihilator-created-a-competitive-advantage-in-broadhead-manufa) (Additive Snack)
- [Dylan Lundberg | Protolabs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-08-05-dylan-lundberg-protolabs) (Being an Engineer)
- [Episode 279: Making things for making things](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2020-10-02-episode-279-making-things-for-making-things) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2012-10-11-shop-talk-live-17-how-your-hand-tools-are-made. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Shop Talk Live.