Happy Birthday to me!!!

I belong to the mosaicartistorg group on Yahoo and recently I read about a tool for cutting Hardibacker easily. Hardibacker is a cement board that can be used for outdoor mosaic use. The tool is called a Snapper Shear. I often wish I could cut shapes from Hardibacker like the ones I bought at the Institute of Mosaic Art below. I've tried a time or two with a jigsaw fitted with a carbide bit, but it is quite a cloudy mess and requires a mask to prevent all the dust getting in my lungs. Soooo...

Base cut at IMA

Base cut at IMA

...since this is my birthday month, I thought I should buy this tool for myself. It is quite amazing. I realize practice is needed to make good curved cuts, but below are a couple pieces I cut out for the first time.

I have to figure out a better way to secure the Hardibacker to my workbench. The problem with my workbench (which I love) is that the wheels don't lock. So if I forget to block the bottom, the bench starts to move as I'm cutting. You can tell I'm not an expert at this power tool business, but I'm trying my best to learn.

Snapper Shear

So above is the Snapper Shear tool and to the right are the first two pieces I cut. The heart was first and you can probably see that I either used too much pressure on the material or didn't have it clamped properly, but it started to split. The arch on the left is the second piece I cut. It's not bad, but I obviously need more practice. The curlieques at the top are the pieces left after cutting. You can just sweep them up and throw them away. 

Happy birthday to me!!!!