There's no reason to restrict your use of power tools--saw and cutters in particular--to the workshop or the job site. If you have the tools, why not use them for a variety of more artistic metal working ends that'll enrich both your life and the lives of your friends? Take these DIY craft ideas involving steel working tools and other power tools in hand and start getting creative with your power tools!

Many of the classic problems with using power tools in sculpture are eliminated by a judicious use of modern power tools by manufacturers like Nitto Kohki (air compressors) and Steel Max (annular cutters.) In the part, aspiring sculptors who wanted to work with metal would be forced to complete complicated molding work before bringing it in to a steel workshop for precision drilling and cutting--a process which necessarily limited the size of the sculpture being worked on to only the smallest and least bulky installations. But with portable annular cutters and chop saws, it's now possible to bring the tools to the artwork in order to perform some crucial detail work.
 
What are the possible applications of a saw and cutters to the world of modern sculpture? A steel cutter saw, for one, can perform extremely precise cuts without requiring a permanently-installed workbench or other such paraphernalia. Using a steady hand and a good vice grip you can create beveled plaques, bases, or even an interestingly jagged "modern" finish to a sensuously curved bust or equestrian statue for a city park. An annular cutter sets can be used to create precision holes for mounting, or for connecting different pieces of sculptures (slotting a sword into the hand of a deceased military figure, for example), or simply for their own aesthetic merits. The power of mag drills and cutters allows you to do this kind of work anywhere at any orientation by attaching the base of the mag drill to the statue itself in order to get the kind of clean, "artistic" cut demanded by modern sculptors--and best of all, a good annular cutter will produce a tightly-packed metal "slug", suitable for any number of future projects.

What's the cost of all of this increased artistic opportunity for you as a sculptor? If you're a practiced metalworker with a good supply of tools already on hand, the cost is nothing but the raw materials, the time, and inspiration. If you're an artist seeking to branch out, talk to a local equipment dealer in order to find out their prices and be sure to comparison shop. If you know any friends who run a small but well-equipped metal working shop from their garage, definitely talk to them and determine what a good rate is in your region. Many manufacturers work by shipping their products to dealers, who control the final price, so your mileage as far as product goes may vary depending on your location.

What won't vary, though, is the increased drama and power of your metalsculpture work, which only depends on your imagination--and the tools that support your imagination are now more precise, portable, and usable than ever before.