tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961789.post-82964007716293341942008-04-20T11:11:00.000-05:002008-04-20T12:03:15.937-05:002008-04-20T12:03:15.937-05:00Tool Review: Bevel-o-MaticI picked up some new tools at NCECA last month. One of the tools that I bought from <a href="http://www.brackers.com/store/results_detail.cfm?cat=147&prodid=MATBEVEL&sort=1&start=1&perpage=22">Bracker's</a> is the <a href="http://claystamps.com/bevelomatic.cfm">Bevel-o-Matic</a> from Todd Sholtz of <a href="http://claystamps.com/index.htm">Claystamps.com</a>. I had wanted to talk with Todd about his new tool, but I kept missing him. So I brought it home from Pittsburgh and started using it... without any directions. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to use it, and I instantly loved it. After I got home that night, I checked in online to see what sort of info was up about this new tool. That's where I discovered that I was using it incorrectly. Oops! But I liked how it worked and I'll have to play around with it some more to see if I want to change my ways.<br /><br />The Bevel-o-Matic is a simple tool for beveling the edge of a leather hard slab with a razor sharp cutter at a 45 degree angle so you can create a clean, sharp mitered joint. I've used several other bevelers that are designed with an angled wire to cut the edge but I didn't love them. For the way that I use a beveling tool, I prefer the Claystamp.com beveler's sharp razor edge better than the wire ones.<br /><br />Here are some images of the Bevel-o-Matic in use:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxpA9GcI/AAAAAAAABUs/6jVBok5sqHs/s1600-h/bevel-o-matic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxpA9GcI/AAAAAAAABUs/6jVBok5sqHs/s400/bevel-o-matic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191352699949226434" border="0" /></a>Above you can see how I used the tool. (correct/suggested usage is the last photo). I hooked the metal Bevel-o-Matic over the edge of the table and pushed the leather hard slab over the tool. The clay is easily cut away leaving a very clean beveled edge. Caution: By using it this way, you do have the possibility of cutting yourself. I did like how hooking the bevel tool over the edge of the table allowed me to have lots of resistance and made it easy to cut a slab that was pretty firm.<br /><br />I have all the parts for my box waiting to be joined with the nicely beveled edges:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxpA9GdI/AAAAAAAABU0/09xKntntfT4/s1600-h/bevel-o-matic-slab-box.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxpA9GdI/AAAAAAAABU0/09xKntntfT4/s400/bevel-o-matic-slab-box.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191352699949226450" border="0" /></a>The parts went together perfectly thanks to good measuring and nicely beveled edges.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxZA9GbI/AAAAAAAABUk/hDxRL4bPm-8/s1600-h/beveled-box-bevel-o-matic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjxZA9GbI/AAAAAAAABUk/hDxRL4bPm-8/s400/beveled-box-bevel-o-matic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191352695654259122" border="0" /></a>***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is the <span style="font-style: italic;">proper </span>way to use the <a href="http://claystamps.com/bevelomatic.cfm">Bevel-o-Matic</a>. You're supposed to drag it across the top of the clay instead of hooking it onto the table and running the clay over it.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.brackers.com/store/results_detail.cfm?cat=147&prodid=MATBEVEL&sort=1&start=1&perpage=22"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAtjx5A9GeI/AAAAAAAABU8/E5CCxDUcU7Q/s400/bevel-o-matic-Bracker%27s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191352704244193762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Thanks to <a href="http://www.brackers.com/store/results_detail.cfm?cat=147&prodid=MATBEVEL&sort=1&start=1&perpage=22">Bracker's</a> for this photo.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Of course there are other options for beveling, and you don't <span style="font-style: italic;">need </span>a special tool...but</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> I appreciate a tool that makes a job a little easier. If you're a big hand builder, and you've been using this tool regularly, I'd love to hear from you.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Another note on <a href="http://claystamps.com/index.htm">Claystamps.com</a>... I wrote about this company 3 years ago on this blog after I got a signature stamp made: <a href="http://potteryblog.com/2005/04/potters-mark-signing-pots.html">A Potter's Mark: Signing Pots</a>.<br /></div></div>Emily Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02405853235523900054noreply@blogger.com6