Bad Owl Tool

Bad Owl Tool We are a family-owned woodworking tool and machinery supplier in Norfolk, VA. Shop online or download the Bad Owl Tool mobile app today! 🦉🪵

We believe in old-school values, lightning-fast shipping, and equipping your shop with the best. Affordable woodworking tools and handcrafted gifts, locally-owned in Norfolk.

08/21/2026

Fatality! Broke two cheap router bits back-to-back while routing slots for C-channel in our white oak giant pizza peel signs for Chelsea Bakehouse

We calculated the required wood movement using the Bad Owl Tool app, but cheap bits plus an overly aggressive pass depth was a recipe for disaster. Lesson learned: bad bits belong in the scrap bin. Upgrading to a Southeast Tool bit to finish the job. Stay tuned!

What is the worst tool failure you have experienced in the shop?

08/13/2026

I am making these massive pizza peel signs for Chelsea Bakehouse! Batching identical shapes is easy if you perfect the first one. I roughed out the master with a jigsaw and fine-finish circular saw blade, then traced it onto the remaining stock. A pass with a carbide spiral bit on the router and they are perfectly identical!


Chelsea Bakehouse

It is time for another Sawdust & Suds! If you are local to Norfolk, come hang out with us this Tuesday, August 11th at 7...
08/07/2026

It is time for another Sawdust & Suds! If you are local to Norfolk, come hang out with us this Tuesday, August 11th at 7PM at Elation Brewing. Let's swap project stories, argue about the best finish, and just have a good time by the fire. Everyone from beginners to master craftsmen are welcome. See you there!

08/06/2026

Gluing up massive panels in a small shop requires a little bit of strategy. 🪵🍕

Making these giant pizza peel signs out of white oak for a local bakehouse. Because my planer is only 15 inches wide, I had to glue these up in three separate sections first. Once they were planed flat, I could do the final big glue-up right on the sawhorses. You work with the space you have!

What is your biggest small-shop space hack? Drop it in the comments! 👇

08/03/2026

We all know that one apprentice who has a little too much time on their hands! 🤣 While we appreciate the superhero energy in the loading dock, it’s probably time to put away the claws and pick up the dovetail saw. You can never have too much practice on your hand-cut joinery!

Tag the biggest goofball in your shop below! 👇

07/31/2026

Anyone else constantly playing Tetris in their woodshop? 😅 I’m building these giant pizza peel signs for Chelsea Bakehouse, but I just don't have the room for a massive single glue-up. My workaround is building three separate panels per sign, running them through the planer, jointing the edges, and then doing the final assembly in stages. Small space constraints just mean we have to get a little creative with our clamping strategies! How do you handle oversized builds in a tiny shop?

07/28/2026

Traveled 5,000 miles to hand-deliver this custom Oklava! 🪵✈️ There is nothing quite like seeing a tool you built in your own shop put to work by someone you love. My mother-in-law made authentic et börek, and the final dish was absolute perfection.

07/25/2026

Never ruin a piece of walnut over miscalculated fractions again. Our new fraction calculator tool handles the heavy lifting by converting decimals, adding mixed fractions, and snapping directly to tape measure marks in real time. Perfect for cabinet making, framing, or shop math.

07/24/2026

We’ve finally reached the Oklava finale! Cut to length, edges rounded, and time for everyone's favorite step: the finish.

I went with Doctor's Woodshop high friction build polish for the main body and sealed the ends with some hardwax oil to keep it protected and stable. There is absolutely nothing quite like admiring the natural beauty of the wood once the finish hits those contrasting laminations. What's your go-to finish for rolling pins and kitchen tools? Let's hear it in the comments! 👇

07/23/2026

Back at the lathe for Part 2 of the Turkish rolling pin (Oklava) build! Applying Doctor's Woodshop friction polish to the purpleheart and maple. The secret to this finish is speed—let the friction and heat do the curing!

Address

5104 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, VA
23508

Telephone

+17572766099

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