• Home
• News
• Events
• The Way Forward

  Our Vision Our New Kindergarten Sixth Form Centre Bursaries Investing In Our Future Ways of Giving Appeal Patrons Naming Opportunities

• Alumni

  Gallery Reunions Memory Lane Schools' History Alumni Search Message Board

• The Key
• School Associations

  BGS Old Boys Association BGS Old Girls Association The Henry Dunster Society Parents Association

• Contact Us

Max AshtonInventor from Bury solves DIY nightmare

An  Inventor from Bury, who was a former pupil at Bury Grammar School,  has solved one of the biggest DIY nightmares - how to cut melamine shelves without damaging the edges.  Whilst building a cupboard, Max Ashton became so disillusioned with existing "clean cut" jigsaw blades that he came up with the new Dual-Cut design.  The result is a revolutionary jigsaw blade that can cut any wood or laminated materials without chipping either surface,  solving a major nightmare for every DIYer and an ongoing problem even for professionals.

After the initial idea however, the problem was that it was impossible to build a prototype to test the design without substantial investment.  With no guarantee that the design would work, investment in the design was impossible and it risked being forgotten.

"If I'd gone on Dragon's Den or indeed to any investor with a theoretical product and no patent I would have been laughed out of the door.  Unfortunately this is the impossible position that hold's back most inventors and stops many great ideas from even getting off the drawing board"

Instead, Max contacted Starrett, a major US tool manufacturer and armed just with the promise of totally clean cutting, accurate jigsaw blade, persuaded the company to develop the Dual Cut design. It was only after the first prototype was produced at Starrett's factory in Brazil that the new blade was found to work exactly as predicted.

Max Ashton said: "I'm so glad the idea worked and I've managed to solve such an enduring problem but it shows that big corporations are open minded if approached correctly and are prepared to invest in new ideas from outside inventors to give them new products and future competitive advantage. You don't have to bankrupt yourself  developing and patenting your invention, all you need is the commercial acumen to identify and talk with the right companies "

The Dual Cut blade has been on trial with various professionals and trade press and has received very positive reviews. Following tests by Poggenpohl, the contemporary designer kitchen company, Jeff Bailey, Installations Manager commented:

"The Dual Cut blades were simple  to use and easily outperformed traditional blades. It gave us the high quality finish our customers expect from a Poggenpohl kitchen and I have no hesitation recommending the blade for our kitchen installers."

Now launching in the UK and worldwide, the new Starrett Dual-Cut jigsaw blade, is being heralded as the solution to all the annoying problems normally associated with jigsaws.  Not only is it the cleanest cutting jigsaw blade in the world but also solves the problem of traditional blades that bend and waver whilst cutting.  The ingenious yet simple design uses two opposing sets of teeth which allow the blade to cut in both directions. Max's invention is so versatile that it will cut any wood products cleanly, which would require 4 or 5 different traditional blades, generally giving inferior results. The revolutionary Dual-Cut blade opens the door for anyone to cut anything, from laminate flooring to kitchen cupboards and shelves, with a single blade and a professional finish in a single cut. The blade also fits virtually every machine on the market due to Starrett's Unified shank® and is made of Bi-Metal Unique® material that last 30% longer and can even cut straight through embedded nails and pins.