General Cutting Tools

The client

General Cutting Tools makes and services cutting tools for woodworking and industry: custom router bits, CNC router-bit sharpening, and custom shaper and moulder knives.

The problem

Much of what they sell is made to order. A custom router bit is designed from the customer’s wood sample, drawing, or photo, and sharpening is priced by the number, type, and condition of the bits. The websites had to sell a stock catalog and, at the same time, make it easy to ask for a quote on work that has no fixed price.

What I delivered

• Two WordPress and WooCommerce sites: generalcuttingtools.com for the tool catalog, and cuttingtoolschicago.com for sharpening services and custom tooling.
• Design and build of both, on one shared theme so they are maintained the same way.
• Service pages for custom router bits, CNC sharpening, and shaper and moulder knives.

Key decisions

• Two sites, two jobs. Catalog shoppers and people looking for a local sharpening or custom-tooling shop arrive with different questions, so each gets its own site instead of one crowded menu.
• Quote requests built around what the shop needs. The custom-work pages tell customers exactly what to send (a sample, drawing or photo, the quantity, and the turnaround they need), so a first message can be priced.
• Checked on phones and desktops. Product and service pages were laid out for both, shown below.

The sites

Phone

Desktop

Phone

Desktop

Where it stands

Both sites launched in 2021 and are still the company’s storefronts today. On my recommendation they have since started using a CRM, which I helped set up.

“John helps grow our business by consistently analyzing and addressing the needs of both our customers and [our] staff. He implemented an eCommerce shopping [site] that is continuing to double [its] sales every year.”

Jeff, General Cutting Tools (Google review)