In three recent videos, Pask Makes tries out his newest tool, WAZER Pro. While still having a core focus on making things by hand, waterjet cutting was a very helpful companion to the rest of his workshop.

Project 1: Two giant screwdrivers—hand-cut and waterjet-cut

Oversized screwdrivers to perfectly screw in brass fasteners became an ideal A/B test. One blade was softened, ground, and shaped entirely by hand. The other was cut directly from hardened stock on WAZER Pro, then surface-ground and shaped.

Both were fitted with custom turned wooden handles, but the difference in speed and accuracy was clear. Pask highlighted how remarkable it felt to see the waterjet slice through a hardened file so effortlessly, while still enjoying the slower, more tactile hand shaping of the companion piece. Both final products are gorgeous and his attention to detail and craftsmanship was the real star of the show. 

“Even though I still love making things by hand and always will. It really is a cool machine. To cut through a hardened file so cleanly and precisely is amazing.”

Project 2: Folding knives—from hacksaw blade to hardened file

The first knife was an exercise in accessibility, brass handles and a blade cut from a hacksaw blank using nothing more than common shop tools. 

The second knife showed the real advantage of WAZER Pro: cutting a blade profile from a fully hardened file. Normally a very hard task with a tempered metal, the waterjet sliced cleanly and accurately. 

A brass sheath/handle was also cut out on WAZER. The brass cut quickly and accurately. The accuracy of the waterjet cut part made refining the brass much easier and faster. Once the piece was cut to shape it was ready to be formed into the handle. Using a custom jig made out of steel with a wedge attached to a press, the brass part was easily shaped to the perfect angle.

From there, traditional grinding, sanding, and polish completed the knife. It was a perfect case of modern tooling setting the stage, while hand skills refined the final product. In the end the knife has a beautiful design with the mix of metals. It’s a simple form highlighting the craftsmanship and effort put into it. 

Project 3: Ship’s wheel—polished brass details, minus the fuss

The brass hub began traditionally: hammer-forming over a wooden pattern, annealing between cycles, then refining on the lathe. To finish the design, Pask needed a ring made from ten identical brass segments. He cut the first by hand as a proof of concept, then turned to WAZER Pro for the rest. In about 20 minutes, a full batch was ready while he tidied the shop. The results: consistent geometry, clean fits, and polished surfaces all without hours of bandsawing and grinding. 

“When I need to make multiple parts, I can make a couple by hand and then the rest on the WAZER, which will save me heaps of time and help me get videos up faster.”

Next, he needed some more small brass pieces to cover the joints in between and so he fired up WAZER Pro again. With those done he could move on to routing out a recess for the brass ring to sit in.

WAZER Pro also made an appearance in manufacturing a brass washer for the center hub of the wheel. A simple but crucial part of the design. WAZER pro worked in the background while Pask Makes focused on cleaning up his shop in preparation for the next steps. 

The giant screwdrivers got to make another appearance when they tightened the brass screws in the center hub of the wheel. They fit perfectly and didn’t chew into the brass at all like a smaller flat head had before. 

In the end the wheel is a stunning piece of work and a tour de force of all of Pask Makes incredible array of workshop skills.  

Handcraft + waterjet: a balanced workflow

What stands out in these builds is how WAZER Pro doesn’t replace traditional handcraft, it complements it. Pask still hammer-forms, sands, grinds, solders, and polishes by hand. The waterjet steps in where precision, speed, or difficult materials would otherwise slow progress to a crawl. It’s not about trading craftsmanship for convenience, but about blending the two: machine-cut accuracy feeding into hand-finished artistry.

“I’m really enjoying the WAZER, but I still want to show how it could be done and if I didn’t have it, I would do them all by hand.“

The takeaway

For brass, it delivered clean repeatable cuts; for hardened steel, it made the impossible easy. Paired with Pask’s traditional methods, the result is not only efficient but deeply crafted, a workshop rhythm where modern waterjet technology and old-school hand skills elevate each other.

Watch and Learn More

You can see each of these builds in action on Pask Makes YouTube channel, where he shares the full process and his workshop insights.