Rich Lewis

Rich Lewis has been carving for many years and is known to the world as Montana Antler Craft. He is not in Montana but actually in Florida. Well, Montana Antler Craft is in Idaho but we think that at least the moose (mooses, meese) may be in Montana. 

At any rate, Rich is responsible for one of our most interesting orders we ever received. Rich carves moose antlers.

We were able to find out that he does not carve them while still on the moose. Indeed, Moose shed their antlers at the beginning of winter and grow them back in the spring. As a matter of fact, moose antlers are the fastest growing bone tissue in the entire animal kingdom.

But we digress.

Rich contacted us recently and asked if we could make a special Grip-All Jaws fixture that could hold moose antlers. It had to be really wide to accommodate something that large.

Now, your average, meadow-variety moose antlers are large but not all that heavy for as big as they are. In addition, Rich needed to move them all around and tilt them and hold them securely for carving with electric carving tools. Sounds like a job for *fanfare* The Grip-All Jaws Orbital Holding System. Well, here is what he said:

"My Grip -All Jaws have changed the way that I carve. The varying size and shapes of moose antlers makes them a constant challenge. Before discovering the Grip-All system, holding antlers between my chin, the table top, and left elbow was a normal part of the carving process. Now I am able to rotate the antler to any position and approach the piece from different angles. My hands are free and I can easily step back and look at my work. The jaws have actually allowed me to develop several new techniques that would have been impossible before.

On top of the great products they produce, you will not find a company more willing to work with an artist to make sure that they get the tool that is right for their individual needs. I called Grip-All Jaws and spoke directly to owner R.P. Myers. After explaining to him what I was doing, he designed a set of custom 17 inch heavy duty jaws that would mount to an Orbital system. After sending them, Mr. Myers called to make sure that they were working for me. You can't ask for better service than that! If your art involves working with any awkward or unusual objects you need to have a set of Grip-All Jaws in your studio. You'll be happy you did!"

Rich makes a whole line of items from antlers and you can see them all on his website. Montana Antler Craft.