Wood Carving Tools

I had a customer call the other day and the Eagle America catalog he used to order from was a catalog he borrowed from his father, that is not that unusual but the catalog was from 2000.  He is not the first customer to order from one of our catalogs from several years ago. I’ve asked "Why do you keep them so long" they usually say they keep it for reference. They would see a woodworking accessory or router bits that they had not seen before. So they hold on to it for when they need that item.

Do you know we carry over 6000 different woodworking tools? We have everything from; router table systems, router bits and router bit sets, saw blades and saw blade accessories, woodworking clamps, sanding supplies, wood carving tools, Kreg pocket hole jigs…. and the list goes on.

A few years back we ran a promotional offer to see who had the oldest catalog and I believe we had multiple customers that supplied us with catalogs from the late 80's and early 90's.

  Yesterday's Catalog                                      Today's Catalog
                                 

Wow what a difference, so don’t be so quick to toss that old Eagle America catalog it just may be worth something in the future.

• Can you make something new with your router bits?
• Can you make something new with a wood carving set?
• What about with your scroll saw blades and scroll saw accessories?

When I saw Robert Beam’s Isuzu Trooper this weekend at the Green Grand Prix, http://www.greengrandprix.com/index.htm , I couldn’t help but think of all the woodworkers I talk to everyday on the phone at Eagle America that have dust collection accessories filling up with wood chips. 


His 1988 Isuzu Trooper runs on wood chips.  Yes! Wood chips.  He doesn’t use any gasoline in his SUV.


The process, which is called pyrolysis, is accomplished by cooking the wood (under low oxygen conditions) in a wood-gas generator and collecting the vapors, which are then directed to the vehicle's (ideally a truck or SUV with room to carry the gas generator) carburetor to be burned instead of gasoline.


Here I am checking out the gas generator.

What a great way to recycle sawdust from all the table saw blades, shaper cutters, and wood carving tools you are using every day! 

This SUV is able to run 20 miles on 25 pounds of wood chips. How far do you think Robert could go each year just from the sawdust you make from your woodworking projects?

Maybe “making sawdust” someday will have a whole new meaning……..

Visit the Beaver Energy website to learn more about the  Isuzu Trooper.

As a customer service representative at Eagle America, the interaction that I have with our customers is one of the best things about my job. When I hear, "my project came out exactly the way I wanted it to" or ”the router bit did exactly what I needed it to do" it brings a smile to my face. 

Recently, I received an email from Roman and he was simply letting us know he was happy with the shaper cutters that he had ordered from us. He was trying to match a profile from an old building on the south side of Boston. Well you can see for yourself how happy he was and what the final result was.

Roman writes:

Sirs:

Back on 2/25, I ordered a set of exterior door shaper cutters and I felt compelled to tell you how satisfied I was with them.

I was commissioned to build a replacement exterior door for an old building in South Boston.  I needed a set of shaper cutters that offered a similar profile to the original and that were milled to match each other for a snug fit.  The 285-8512 set I received was perfect for the job.  I was building this door from 1-3/4" thick Poplar and wanted to use my Delta shaper to carve each cut with one pass. Setup was easy.  Most importantly, the fit between the joints was perfect, making an extremely tight fit to make the glue-up snug and reliable. A minimum of sanding supplies were needed to finish my project. 

The price you charge for these shaper cutters were also attractive; especially when you consider that you also include both 1/2" and 1/4" center panel cutters and bearings.  Most of the time these are only supplied at an extra cost. 

Rest assured that I'll order again from Eagle America if this product is representative of the other cutters you provide.  Shipping was quick and much appreciated.

Sincerely, Roman

I asked if he would be willing to forward some photo's of his handiwork and he was happy to do so. Here are the before and after photo's of what Roman did with our shaper cutters.

Roman replied:

All of the buildings in S. Boston butt up against each other but they are painted differently. Thus the red/black stripes behind me.  This place is modestly sided but trimmed nicely.

The lumber I used was "torrified" Poplar.  Yes, that's poplar with no finish on it.  They take the lumber and heat it to about 240 degrees until all the cells shrink and the wood turns that brown.....almost burned color.  Since the cells are shrunk, water has no affect on it like normal lumber.  It won't swell or shrink or split or check.  It's extremely stable and perfect for outdoor projects where you'd normally use cedar or teak.  It glues up extremely well.  I used Titebond's waterproof adhesive.

The cutters I bought provide me with about 5" of gluing surface on a 1-3/4" thick board.  So, the joints are extremely tight and should last for many years. 

Here's a close-up of the fit.  The rain started just as I loaded my tools into the car.  The door is simply wet, here.  Torrified lumber takes on a deep......very deep hue when you oil it or wet it.

Roman

Another project that went as planned, as I smile to myself!

Last weekend I took a trip to Dollywood, located in the beautiful state of Tennessee.


This was my first time at this particular park so I really didn’t know what to expect.


When I walked in the front gate, I felt like I was immediately thrown back in time to the mid to late 1800’s. 


The park has many original and historically reproduced buildings and they make a conscious effort to incorporate arts & crafts into the parks experience.

After a short walk up a small hill, I was confronted with this wonderful carving, depicting a woodworker showing his wood carving tools and craft to a curious young child. The sign above the statue read:
 

I was immediately reminded how important it is to pass on the art of using woodworking tools and woodworking accessories to younger generations.


If it was not for my father and grandfather teaching me critical woodworking skills and techniques, I would not be where I am at today.

 

Formal education can only take a person just so far. Learning a craft can help develop critical thinking skills in a child and promote an independence that today’s educational system seems to lack.


So, as the industrial arts leave our children's classrooms, I make a plea to all of those seasoned woodworkers out there. Don’t forget to pull out your wood router bits, router accessories and other woodworking tools and teach someone of a younger generation the craft of woodworking.

They will thank you for it later…

• Woodworking Router Bits
• Table Saw Blades
• Wood Bandsaw Blades
• Scroll Saw Blades
• Woodworking Clamps
• Sanding Supplies
• Wood Carving Tools
• And more!

Anthony Szik (courtesy Burbank Leader)

• Could it be attending a meeting of a local woodworking club or guild to network with other woodworkers? 
• Could it be time for you to register and take some woodworking classes to expand your knowledge of the craft?
• Could it be that you simply don't have to tools to get the job done?

• Wood Cutting Tools of all shapes and sizes
• Router Jigs and Router Accessories
• Woodworking Router Bits
• Table Saw Blades
• Wood Carving Tools
• Etc., etc., etc.