I’ve recently had the privilege of creating a custom piece for a client – a small but powerful sign to hang above portraits of firefighters from Kennebecasis Fire Fighters Local 3591 who have passed. While this sign will hang proudly in a private home, the process of making it stirred something very personal for me.
It made me think of my father.
Dad was a carpenter by trade and, in his younger years, a volunteer firefighter who even served as Deputy Chief of the Simonds Fire Department. He’s the reason I enjoy working with my hands, especially with wood.
Growing up, I was always in the shop with him – usually asking for help on some elaborate school project. And because of how I’m wired, I never chose the simple route. Things had to look or function a certain way, and that usually meant I was pushing the limits of what was possible. We’d drive each other crazy over it. Eventually, though, he came to accept that this was just me – that I’d always push for precision, and in the end, it would all work out.
That drive is very likely what led me to crafting with a laser. The blend of technology and tradition – the ability to work with wood at an incredibly high level of precision – feels like the perfect balance of complexity and craft. And even now, with new tools at hand, I still find myself pushing boundaries.
This sign may seem simple at first glance, but its creation was anything but. Built from three separate materials:
- Tru-Flat Black laser plywood
- Tru-flat Maple laser plywood
- Red cast acrylic
It’s composed of over 90 individual pieces, some smaller than a single grain of rice. The result is exactly what I envisioned: bold, meaningful, and made to last.
I wish my father were here to see it. I think he’d understand.
