Customer Focus - Johan Ahlberg

Johan Ahlberg sent in some images of ring boxes he made using some of the models from the the Be Mine No.1 project as a top embellishment.   He was kind enough to share his process, so keep reading!

Again we have been sent some finished projects that have impressed us, inspired us and have made us wonder what others are doing out there with our projects.

Roughing pass to remove most of the contrasting wood.

Finishing pass to clean up the top.

"I cutted out the lid first with the down side up with a dado for a snug fit to the bottom half and then glued a 4 mm piece of contrasting wood on the top side and made a 3d finish."

"I use a 6090 China router with an upgraded water cooled spindle (2.2kw). I use Vectric software and nc studio. Vectric is an excellent program that is fun and easy to use."

Finished box... WOW!

 

The end result of such a unique process is outstanding!  Gluing the 2 different pieces of wood together and then machining the top wood off leaving only the model is pretty neat.

"They were fun and easy to make."

"Maybe they can inspire someone else."

We are pretty sure they will inspire our users to try something  new and, we hope, inspire a few ladies to say "Yes!". 

"I am a co-owner in a company called Herrljunga Ledstångsfabrik and we are leading in sweden when it comes to handrails and bannisters ."

"When we decided to purchase a CNC I couldn't resist to buying one for myself.  1 year after that I started a hobby company on the side.  My own website : 3dskyltar.se has only been active 2 months."

Looks like Johan is off to a great start with his business and the ring boxes are looking very nice on his website.

"I must say that your concept with whole projects is Great and I'm sure I will be a returning customer."

Thank you Johan for sharing this special project with us!

For more Customer Focus posts click here! 

Customer Focus - Scott Fogarty

It took Scott a bit of time and elbow grease to get his project to the point where he was happy with the it.  As we are sure you will agree the time and effort sure did pay off!

" I finally finished my gift to my Mom & Dad. I wanted it to be special but I finally had to stop sanding and get on with other things."

Scott used the Wine Bar No.1 CNC Project for his layout.

"I used a 1/16" bit. It took 3 days to cut and weeks of sanding. My machine (CNC Mogul) shut down when I accidentally bumped the keyboard with about two hours left to go on the final tool path. When I set it up again, I was way off. It left me with a huge amount of extra work."

 

"I learn something new every time I cut a piece. One thing I've learned is that once you complete your cuts, your work is just beginning. The time you spend sanding is what can really make a piece special. I like the natural look of the wood I select and how its grain turns out. Every time I finish a piece, my expectation of my next piece increases."

It all looks great to us.  Your finish looks amazing and it is something very special!

"I especially wanted this piece to turn out well for my parents. I hope they really like it."

 

"FYI My Parents loved the plaque I made them and put it over their bar."

We had a feeling they would... a special gift like this is sure to be cherished for many years!  Great work Scott!

Thank you Scott for sharing this special project with us!

For more Customer Focus posts click here! 

Tim turned a family loss into a special bonding project!

This is one of those projects where we should just let the customer do all the talking.

"We had three generations of Yorkies. They are all getting pretty old as far as dogs go. However, the youngest one passed away due to a sudden health complication, she was almost 10 years old, born just a few months before my son. She will be forever remembered. I thought this would be the right time to really get my son more involved with woodworking. He has tinkered with the scroll saw and put some Lowes and Home Depot projects together, but hadn't used any major tools."

"With this project, I showed him how to take rough sawn cedar and make a beautiful box for our dog to be put to rest in. I taought him how to use the jointer, the planer, and the compound miter saw. I did most of the cutting on the table saw, but I let him use a box joint jig. I created some molding on the router table and I also showed him why I didn't want him dealing with the router... I had a 3/4" round nose bit barely lifted out of the table and mostly covered by a fence. I purposely launched a missile (sent a small piece of wood into the bit along the fence from the wrong direction using a LONG push stick). ZOOM - BANG! Yeah, he got the point.

We together glued up a panel for the lid of the box. After that, we worked together to send that panel through the drum sander to flatten it and set it up on the CNC. This is where some magic happened. By hacking together the frame of the Rose Tiles project, the cross from the Praying Cowboy project and the collar and dog bone tag from the Furry Friends No.1 project, the lid was ready for a little text to top it off.
I think for a quick build, this came out great for our beloved little friend. She was laid to rest and my son was able to take part in making that special box for her.

Thanks for the perfect 3D touches."

We are sure Mia will be missed and what a fitting project to include your son in.  This a great way to help with the healing knowing he was involved in the making of her final resting place.  I am sure the experience, in many ways, will be with him for years to come.  We can't say enough about how great it was for you take your family loss and turn it into a learning and bonding experience with you son.

 

Tim Babb has a great channel on Youtube that that you just might want to check out - Woodworking Maniak

Thank you Tim for sharing this special project with us!

For more Customer Focus posts click here!