Kevin’s saw is a cut above the rest
YOU COULD SAFELY describe Kevin Inkster’s brick and mortar saw – the Allsaw – as a cutting edge product.
It’s a revolutionary saw that can cut
bricks and wood – but not a person’s
arm. Which is just one of the reasons
the petrol version of it was the overall
winner at the 2008 Inventor of the
Year Awards.
Inkster’s Perth-based company
Arbortech has developed and made
numerous successful woodworking
and power tools over the past 25 years.
The electric version of the Allsaw –
sold as the AS170 brick and mortar
saw – runs off mains power and utilises
the company’s patented cutting
technology of two blades moving in a
small elliptical orbit at high frequency.
Inkster came up with the idea for a
safer saw after he cut his hand with a
chainsaw nearly 30 years ago.
It’s proving popular around the globe.
“We make the electric version here
and distribute it around the world,”
Inkster says.
“The major markets for us are the
United States, England and Europe and
Australia. Australia is extremely good
for us.
“We’ve also developed a new cutting
technology, called the Hammersaw,
which uses a single blade and is capable
of cutting concrete as well as rebar
(the reinforcing steel) not just brick
and masonry – which is raising the bar
even more.
“And it looks like we will be able to do
the concrete version ourselves.”
But it’s not all plain sailing. One thing
that’s proving elusive for the moment
is producing a petrol version of the
Allsaw.
Ideas, inspiration and innovation in WA
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Inkster and his team have run into
what you could called the innovator’s
Catch 22 – they’ve come up with a
disruptive technology that is perhaps
just too threatening for the global
manufacturers of chainsaws.
Inkster says he’s been told informally
that coming up with a safer saw
means that manufacturers’
inventories of normal chainsaws
would, in effect, be regarded as
‘unsafe’ – and a legal nightmare if using
them resulted in injuries.
Inkster and his team is now facing
the challenge of trying to source an
appropriate high-end petrol motor for
the petrol Allsaw, one that would meet
European emissions standards and
include special filtration to cope with
masonry dust.
Current off-the-shelf motors are too
big and powerful and to customise
motors from scratch would be
prohibitively expensive without the
help of major manufacturers.
“I decided to develop the technology
further and tackle the even greater
problem of cutting concrete and rebar
with a safe and effective alternative,”
he says.
“This has resulted in the Hammersaw
which has huge advantages of safety
and performance and is more easily
adapted to regular rotary driven tools.
This means that it is far easier for us
to produce locally or license to other
companies as it is less threatening to
their existing markets.”
Inkster is philosophical about the
setback with the petrol Allsaw, which
he sees as part of the problem-solving
process.
“I’ve come to understand one thing
about innovations,” he explains.
“I’ve heard many other inventors talk
like this and they’re totally focused
on all the reasons they can’t get
something up and going because they
encounter all kinds of resistance,
and the resistance isn’t necessarily
intentional.
“If you’re in an industry and you’re
the leader of that industry and you’re
making a lot of money out of that
industry, why do you want to invest
millions of dollars in something that
is going to ruin your income from that
leading industry?
IMPROVEMENT
“That’s very much the dilemma for
them.
“Sometimes it’s better to have an
incremental improvement than to have
something radically different.
“What we’ve discovered is that with
disruptive technology, you have to go
all the way yourself.
“So if we can get the petrol Allsaw up
and going, then they have no choice but
to follow suit.”
Inkster says entering the WA Innovator
of the Year Awards can provide a
good reality check for inventors and
innovators.
“One of the best things that came out
of it, believe it or not, was the video
featuring us that was produced as part
of the awards,” he explains.
“That video served us so well in our
negotiations with major companies.”
WITH DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY,
YOU HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY
YOURSELF.