R/C Flyers like the Grip-All Jaws System

Grip-All Jaws took a really beautiful summer day and went to a R/C fly-in in Winlock, Washington. We took a few units just so folks could see them.

This fellow had this beautiful electric Albatross and it flew very well but got shot down - fortunately over friendly territory. We invited him over to use the Orbital and he was sold. He appreciated that he could the hold the model hands-free and reattach the wings without moving it in the jaws. In this shot he is working out the best way to hold it but he got it turned around in short order.

Once back together it was able to slip the surly bonds of the Orbital and go back to slipping the surly bonds of earth.

A fun day out and we found yet another new use for Grip-All Jaws.

Dowel and Rod Stock Storage

This isn't just Grip-All Jaws related but it can apply to any shop where you have bits of material left over. One class of material is particularly challenging to store and that is doweling, rod stock, all-thread rod, angle, "T" slot, tubing, brass or other metal rods, narrow strips of accent wood and any other narrow lengthy materials. The problem of storing these materials is that the length can vary from a few inches to several feet.

I found that heavy duty cardboard tubes can be had from reprographics stores. These are places where you would get blueprints or large format copies. Their paper comes on strong cardboard tubes and they usually have to haul these tubes to the landfill. I have always found these business to be more than glad to give you as many as you would like to take off their hands; FREE.

Below are pictures of ways I have used these tubes to hold my rod stock. These tubes come in different lengths, but the most common sizes I have found are: 11", 21", 30" and 36". They are very easily cut with a miter saw to meet your needs.

The picture above has the tubes of different lengths stacked on 20" wide shelves. The one below utilizes a section of concrete form tube (available at any building supply) cut at an angle for access to shorter items. Concrete form tubes are available in a variety of diameters and you can create your own version to meet your needs.

Here are ways to hold stock from 25" to 6’ and the most used in my shop is the picture to the right that holds items in common 3’, 4’ and 5’ stock lengths.

Grip-All Jaws Holds a Carving Class

The Grays Harbor Fine Woodworkers Guild held a beginning woodcarving class Saturday June 4th. Local carver and teacher John Templar came down to the shop at the Grip-All Jaws world headquarters in McCleary Washington. This turned out to be a really fun and informative get together.

The first thing John talked about was safety and he provided the kevlar gloves and the rubber bandage tape to protect your thumb. BY THE WAY he said that the tape - it's that thick non sticky, stretchy stuff that clings to itself - comes from medical supply places and is really expensive. But he gets the very same material at feed and farm supply stores for less than half the price. They use it for wrapping horses legs. Pretty clever. We all carved Scotties.

A great time was had by all and we learned a lot. Thanks John.

Some of Michael Keller's Works

We thought we should show you some of Michael Keller's divers work. So without further adieu...

A visit with master carver Michael Keller

My wife, Linda and I, recently took a few days to relax, get away from the constant rain and to explore a part of our state Linda had not seen.  We ended up at beautiful Lake Chelan.  As luck would have it, the day we arrived was one of the very few days of the year that Lake Chelan received its minuscule rain fall.  Lucky though, the rest of our trip was dry and partly sunny until we crossed the mountains to home.

While in Chelan, I visited with Michael Keller, an extremely talented and prolific carver.  Check out his web site: www.whiteeaglestudios.com and you can see small glimpse Michael’s exquisite carvings.  I have included other carvings in this blog to further reflect Michael’s talent.  Most carvers I have met keep with a particular style of carving, but the diversity of Michael’s carvings is amazing.   His home and studio are filled with masterpieces and nearly every genre.  From small medallions and sea shells to larger sculptures; from detailed relief carvings to humorous and amusing caricatures.  Michael has also had several of his pieces produced in bronze.

Michael’s studio is very organized and set up for one thing; carving.  His workstations and tools are organized for efficiency and comfort.  The layout of Michael’s shop reflects a solid understanding of the task he has set out to accomplish.  The ability to move from one function to another, without stopping to set-up, allows his creative vision to flow.  Large windows provide lots of natural light for his work and a view for inspiration.  Michael’s home/studio sets on a mountain six miles north of the city of Chelan.  It is only six miles from Chelan to Michael’s, but in that six miles, you climb over 2,000 feet in elevation.

Linda and I originally planned this trip to help her recover from foot surgery, but my visit to Michael’s studio turned out to be very inspiring for me.  Visit Michael’s web site and check out his blog.  There is a lot of informative and interesting information for carvers of any skill level.  If you are ever in the beautiful Lake Chelan area, call Michael ahead of time and he might be available for a visit.  Michael told me he was getting ready for shows he will be doing this year and I hope he posts them on his site so we can all see his newest creations.

Imagine, create and inspire,

RP Myers