In the early 1980s, a cabinetmaker in St. Louis had an idea for a tool to eliminate hand filing of laminates. Like many woodworking professionals, he found hand filing to be one of his most tedious and time-consuming tasks. After designing, building and testing a prototype, the cabinetmaker was convinced he had created a revolutionary tool. The U.S. Government agreed, and his invention, the Air File, was awarded a patent. The Air File marked the beginning of Beaver Tools.