Sunday, December 12, 1999
A cut above the rest
Heirloom Sta-Sharp line impresses with woodcrafting tool blades
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer contributor
Jim Canfield believes he's on the cutting edge of woodworking.
Mr. Canfield, owner of J's Custom Design, has helped develop a new process that produces more bite per blade for woodcrafting tools.
The table saw, drill bits, router and shaper cutters in Mr. Canfield's cabinet shop all bear his Heirloom “Sta-Sharp” logo. He touts their ability to keep their edge at least 50 percent longer than untreated tools.
The eight-step process, which awaits final patent approval, can treat any standard carbide blade. It takes about 48 hours and reconfigures molecules in the metal.
That might sound a bit like alchemy, but Mr. Canfield and his associates rely on the laws of physics rather than chemical brews. And instead of transmuting base metals into gold, they think that their metal products will stretch customers' dollars — because blades will cut, bore and shape longer before needing to be sharpened or replaced.
“Our process acts to bond the molecular structure of materials much more tightly together,” Mr. Canfield said. “Tighter molecule bonds are like a better glue for wood joints — they don't break apart very easily.”
Mr. Canfield and his associates have applied their multistep process to solid-carbide, carbide-faced and carbide-tipped blades and bits. They say it also helps tools of lesser quality.
“We've taken a cheap blade and put it through the process. It lasted — what — six months?” Mr. Canfield said.
A cabinet shop in Mason thinks the Heirloom blades it bought are setting records.
“I've got one man being very meticulous, keeping track of each sheet we cut,” said Gary Bellman, production manager at Miami Woodworking. “Normally, we can cut 10 to 12 4-by-8 sheets of particleboard before sharpening. This blade we've had the longest, we're on 100 sheets and still cutting. That's unheard of. Right now, it's at 10 times its life.“
Mr. Bellman admitted to being skeptical of the Heirloom representative's pitch, but he gambled on one blade. He has since bought others for use in the Mason cabinetry shop and now is ready to bite on a treated router bit.
Mr. Bellman is not the only satisfied Heirloom customer.
“The materials we use can dull a blade in one day. The Heirloom blade can take a week of steady cutting,” said Bob Cannon, shop foreman for Chapman Cabinetry in Anderson Township.
Craftsmen at the kitchen-cabinet maker slice through particleboard coated with melamine as well as medium-density fiberboard.
“That stuff will really dull your blades,” Mr. Cannon said, adding that the Heirloom products are lasting three to four times the life of a standard blade.
While Chapman Cabinetry is still using standard blades to cut counter-top surfaces such as Corian and synthetic marble, Mr. Cannon said the company plans to replace those blades with Heirloom products as soon as they wear out.
Its developers say tools treated with the Heirloom process will be as good as new if they are sharpened properly — and can withstand a greater number of sharpenings. Mr. Cannon agrees that his blades have performed equally well after each sharpening.
“It's really impressive,” he said.
Developing a competitive edge for woodworking tools took four years, Mr. Canfield said. “We've been fooling with this for about six years and refined it two years ago.”
Brian Finch bought his first Heirloom blade about a year ago. Mr. Finch, shop manager for Heuber Brothers and Innerwood Co., is replacing the shop's old blades with Heirloom products.
“So far, we've had real good experience with them,” he said.
The Loveland-based sister companies produce cabinetry and do finish carpentry for new construction. Mr. Finch said most of what they cut is wood, so saw blades tend to last longer than those used on particleboard or Masonite.
“But we're in high-end construction, and so I buy good-quality tools,” he said. “We've also experimented with Heirloom shaper cutters in-house. So far, I've had no complaints.”
Mr. Finch said his Heirloom shaper cutter has been in use for about six months, the point at which a standard tool might need to be replaced. The Heirloom product shows no signs of nearing retirement, he said.
“The Heirloom tools cost a little more, but if I can get just twice the life of a regular tool, I'm ahead. I'm very happy.”
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