After spending most of his life as a machinist cutting metal and plastics, Craig Jackson decided to try cutting wood. He found the sharpening methods, angles and catches to be extremely annoying. Jackson experimented with all different types and brands of tools and couldn't find what he was looking for. He decided to combine his metal cutting experience with wood turning to develop a completely new wood turning system.
After researching the best materials and testing several of his inventions, Jackson created a tool that met most all of his needs. He developed a replaceable carbide cutter wood turning tool that cuts at a neutral angle, making it safer and easier to use. Additionally, the blade can be rotated when one side gets dull and eventually replaced which eliminates the need for sharpening. Jackson has since developed six new tools and has a patent pending on several of these inventions.
Jackson and his wife, Donna, intended to operate the business part time but soon realized there was enough demand to make it their full time jobs. They worked with several staff members at Emerging Ventures, including Lois Decker with the Small Business Development Center located in the Commerce Center for assistance in putting their financial data into a cohesive format.
"The manufacturing side of the business is easy. The hard part is the accounting and taxes and making sure we are operating efficiently," said Donna Jackson. "The SBDC helped us with these tasks and was a great sounding board when we were trying to determine the best avenues for financing."
Easy Wood Tools' clients range from hobbyists and professional wood turners. They have over 100 retailers selling their products and have sold tools to customers in 15 different countries. For more information on the company please visit their website http://easywoodtools.com/.
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