Doc’s Blue Moose – Hand Carved Precision Board Plus

Todd Hoffman Design, in Winona, MN, recently sent us pictures of an impressive sign they made. You may remember THD from a previous blog, Faster Routing – Proven By THD Design, showcasing the improved router speed they were able to attain using Precision Board Plus. This time they made a hand-carved sign for “Doc’s Blue Moose”, a restaurant in Spring Grove, MN.

Both PBLT-15 and PBLT-30 were used to create “Doc’s Blue Moose”. Many of the pieces were routed to create a rough shape, and then hand-carved to add final detail, culminating in the beautiful sign seen in the pictures. THD Design has been making signs for 15+ years, and are a full-service sign company specializing in “anything that’s fun”, according to Tim Russell, Estimator, Designer and hand-carver. Their website can be viewed at: http://www.thddesign.com/.

Because Precision Board Plus is a closed-cell substrate, doesn’t absorb moisture, and is able to hold up to extreme weather conditions, it is typically the substrate of choice in many states with harsh weather. In fact, one of the first times high-density urethane was ever used was as exterior insulation on the Alaskan Oil Pipeline in 1970, which is still in service.

Here are some pictures of the sign:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterfly house concept

This week has been largely all about our new house and other business matters. Not much got accomplished in the studio or shop so far.
The new house was very much in mind when we purchased our first MultiCam six years ago and also the new four axis model we just replaced it with. You can absolutely bet that it will play a large role in the creation of countless pieces. Today we were talking with a cabinet shop as to how we could incorporate many unique features into the cabinet, working hand in hand with their shop on various components.
Other features of the house will include wainscoting, chair rails, wall and ceiling trim, big decorative beams, railings, light switches and hundreds of other creative do-dads throughout. The software, router and modern substrates like the heavy weight Precision Board will allow us to do many things we previously only could dream of. These details are still a ways out from production on the CNC but with the final blue prints now being drawn it is time to think seriously about how we will do it.
So here is a teaser of the outside of the house as the final look is refined through the last stages…
Since my wife Janis loves butterflies we will be incorporating that as the theme throughout. I present the ‘Butterfly House’.
This is undoubtably going to be a fun project that will incorporate every single trick and technique we can muster. I am looking forward to it with great delight!
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Workshops! Workshops! Workshops!

These days we are thinking a lot about our Sign Magic Workshops. The next one to be held here in our studio is now only a week away. In the shop preparations are in full gear! I’ll be posting some step by steps of some of the name tags I am making for our attendees later today.
Plans are also underway to have a workshop in the Ukraine or perhaps Moscow sometime later this year. I received a copy of the Ukraine sign magazine this morning and noticed a full page ad for the workshop. Unfortunately I am only able to read a few words. 
There is also some serious talk of a workshop on the east coast in the New Jersey/New York area later this year. No firm dates have yet been set for that one. But as things firm up I’ll be posting details here.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Custom Blocks – Decrease Your CNC Machining Time

Coastal Enterprises offers custom sized and custom bonded blocks of Precision Board Plus to save on labor and CNC machining time. We already have eight standard sizes up to 24″ thick in stock, but if a different shape or size is needed, there is no limit to the size or shape of blocks we can make.

Using a drawing provided by you, we will make a custom-sized block in the rough shape and size of your tool. Our expertise will keep your project on schedule and on budget.

The benefits of doing this are:

  • Less material purchased overall
  • CNC machining time is drastically decreased because the block is closer to net size
  • Assembly is eliminated
  • Tool arrives ready for immediate machining
  • Reduced labor costs

Contact us if you are interested in a custom sized block quote. Check out our tooling gallery for additional pictures of custom blocks.

This is a custom bonded block used to make a mold for Ken Duttweiler’s 2000+ horsepower Small-Block Chevy “Speed Demon” race car, which will be featured in our upcoming email newsletter on 3/12/12. Click here if you would like to sign up!

Chasing the elusive butterfly

As we begin planning our new house in earnest, one of our happy tasks is to choose the perfect theme. Like our commercial projects the theme will extend to the corner blocks of the doors and windows and throughout the trim of the building. On commercial projects this is part of the branding, while in our house it will be merely decor. But the decor will have meaning and significance. 
Janis has loved butterflies as long as I’ve known her. This house is the perfect opportunity to celebrate that love. So, the first task is to narrow down the theme and style. It turns out there are endless ways one can draw a butterfly. 
I’ll bet there are just as many clever ways to incorporate this theme as there are ways to render them.
Stay tuned…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.