What's a "Side Cutter"

[Dan Stuewe]

So I'm surfing around some of the suppliers web sites and I come across this page at Craft USA...

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=243-0100

What I want to know is what is a "side cutter" to be used for cutting shell for inlays? I think it is a beautiful accent, but I'm still trying to get my head around how to cut shell with the tools I already have.

Thanks,

[Dick Parr]

Dan I'm not sure but is it something like tile nippers? :confused: I would think that anything you have that will break the shell up into small pieces would work. If they don't already come that way.

[Tom LaRussa]

So I'm surfing around some of the suppliers web sites and I come across this page at Craft USA...

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=243-0100

What I want to know is what is a "side cutter" to be used for cutting shell for inlays? I think it is a beautiful accent, but I'm still trying to get my head around how to cut shell with the tools I already have.

Thanks,
Dan,

Apparently, a side cutter is any one of several types of plier-like tools with a pair of opposed cutting blades set along one side. I've always known them as "wire nippers." (See pics below.)

So, I think they are basically talking about mangling the shell into little bits and then epoxying them into something.

HTH,

Tom

[Dennis McDonaugh]

We always called them "dikes". Think its short for diagonal cutters.