In this podcast, Will Sampson talks with Stuart Topp, inventor of an amazing new tool called the Blind Stapler for affixing face frames to cabinet boxes. Will shares some of his thoughts on the wonder of inventions and what drives inventors to make new things and solve old problems.
This episode of the Woodworking Network podcast was sponsored by FDMC magazine. FDMC magazine is your vital source of information to improve your woodworking business. Whether it is keeping you apprised of the latest advances in manufacturing, helping you solve your wood technology problems with Gene Wengert, or inspiring you with case histories about successful businesses and best practices, FDMC magazine is there to be the sharpest business tool in your shop. Learn more and subscribe for free at woodworkingnetwork.com/fdmc.
Woodworking Network is a home for professional woodworkers, presenting technology, supplies, education, inspiration, and community, from small business entrepreneurs to corporate managers at large automated plants.
You can find all of our podcasts at WoodworkingNetwork.com/podcasts and in popular podcast channels. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Thanks again to today’s sponsor, FDMC magazine. If you have a comment or topic you’d like us to explore, contact me at will-dot-sampson @ woodworking network dot com. And we would really appreciate it if you fill out the survey at woodworking network.com/podcast-survey. Thanks for listening.
Intro music courtesy of Anthony Monson.
Welcome to the Woodworking Network Podcast where we explore the business of woodworking and what it takes to succeed. I’m Will Sampson.
This episode is sponsored by FDMC magazine, and don’t forget to take our survey at woodworking network.com/podcast-survey.
Today, we’ll be talking with Stuart Topp, inventor of a new tool called the Blind Stapler, but first I want to talk about “The magic of inventing.”
The magic of invention
I just can’t help loving inventors. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been captivated by stories of invention and inventors. People who discovered a new land or new scientific principle were never as interesting to me as the people took those discoveries and made something with them. Inventors at their heart are makers who solve problems. They are inspired – no, energized – by seeing a difficulty or irritant that needs to be overcome. Sometimes their solutions work, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they are wildly successful, and sometimes they die in obscurity. But, along the way, they never stop making new things.
Practically every woodworker I’ve ever met has a bit of an inventor streak. When I visit their shops they always want to show me some clever jig or fixture, some inventive way they solved a construction challenge. Sometimes, I have to tell them that they have invented the same wheel that many others have independently invented. Or, I feel compelled to point out flaws or potential improvements in their inventions. The thing is most inventors don’t mind that. All they want to do is improve what they have made and solve problems.
Oh sure, there are some that hope to get rich from their inventions. They chase after patents, licensing, and marketing opportunities or they struggle to manufacture and market a product themselves. I can relate a bit. I once invented a device for guitars that made them have some of the attributes of a pedal steel guitar. I started to pursue a patent and also manufactured a bunch myself to sell. The patent proved elusive and potentially very expensive. My prototypes found their way to a number of talented guitarists who created a new sound for themselves with the device, but it never took off.
Paul Akers, who started his company Fast Cap with a screw cover invention of his own, now collects the inventions of others and helps bring them to market. In most cases, he doesn’t go after patents, instead focusing on being first to market with unique problem-solving inventions for woodworkers. Chances are the inventors who work with him make more in royalties and with less hassle than people who took a similar path to what I did. I remember talking to one inventor who spent years unsuccessfully trying to get various tool manufacturers to license his patented inventions while watching similar products come to market with or without patents.
Lots of bad ideas make it to market while good ideas languish. Big companies regularly put money on ideas that don’t make it in the marketplace. Then they move on to other ideas, hoping to find one that works. Cash strapped inventors are more likely to give up before their product is recognized in the marketplace. After all, they are more focused on creating new things than they are on selling stuff. Some of our most famous inventors achieved fame partly because they were talented marketers. Thomas Edison comes immediately to mind.
In these days of crowd-sourced funding, social media promotions, and greater access to technology, it might be easier to launch an invention. But also, those technologies make it easier for less scrupulous companies and countries to steal ideas and squash upstart inventions. What they can’t squash, though, is that inventive spark that drives makers to create new things in the first place. It’s that voice that won’t be silenced, screaming in your head, “There’s got to be a better way to do this.” And it’s the energy you feel when you succeed in finding that better way and making it a reality.
Speaking of inventors, I want to get to our interview with Stuart Topp and hear more about his invention, but first let’s pause for a word from our sponsor. FDMC magazine is your vital source of information to improve your woodworking business. Whether it is keeping you apprised of the latest advances in manufacturing, helping you solve your wood technology problems with Gene Wengert, or inspiring you with case histories about successful businesses and best practices, FDMC magazine is there to be the sharpest business tool in your shop. Learn more and subscribe for free at woodworkingnetwork.com/fdmc.
Today our guest is Stuart Topp, a cabinet industry veteran who has invented a clever new tool called the Blind Stapler. If you do face frame cabinets, this tool could dramatically change the way you work. But besides just a cool new tool, there is more to the story, including a fascinating charitable effort that is connected to it. Welcome to the Woodworking Network Podcast, Stuart!