CNC Design and Woodworking
There is something so satisfying about making real objects.
My name is Jim. I’ve spent most of my life working at a screen. The beginning is an idea, and the end is digital. I’ve always considered it a good idea to spend some time in the real world, making, fixing, constructing… It’s a healthy mental break to hold the result in your hands. Something tangible and solid. The end is real.
I was introduced to CNC 15 years ago in a trial by fire. I went to work for a drone manufacturing company that happened to have one of the crookedest, flimsiest CNC routers on the planet. Every day, before I cut a single part, I spent an hour checking to see how off-kilter the machine was that morning, and then dialing it back in to something in the vicinity of true. I later worked for a boat builder with a good CNC machine and learned how to cut curvy boat parts. Even back then, I was thinking about all the other things I wanted to make with CNC.
Fast forward a bunch of years, and I’ve finally come full circle. My wife and I bought a CNC machine early this summer. It’s one of the three things I own that actually work better than I expected. It’s capable of heavy work, and extreme delicacy. It does not eliminate the need for more traditional woodworking, but it is extremely versatile and handles the jobs I could never do by hand.
I have a running joke that may be only funny to me. I do technical and creative and my wife does all the grownup stuff. I could’t even begin to tackle this without my wife, Sharon, who manages to make order from all manner of chaos, and who flies in from left field with a one-step solution to problems I have been wrestling with for days. She’s pretty awesome.
I suppose I could consider myself a craftsman. I’ve been crafting things since I was in the single digit years. I had two great examples. My dad was the example of how not to do woodworking. He simply didn’t have the patience. The upside was that he would start a project, and quickly hand it to me to finish. I learned a lot by dealing with his duct tape and baling wire. My Uncle Jim was the how-to example. I clearly remember his careful explanations of everything he was doing as he built a chicken house, or repaired a porch. He supervised my Pinewood Derby project that was the best looking car by far, but failed to win because no one believed I made it. I’ve been fortunate to encounter other great craftsmen along the way, folks who were willing to pass along what they knew, and finding me worth the time.
Wood is special. In a world of plastic and particle board, wood shows up with character and permanence that is hard to find in any other material. Woodworking is about the relationship with the wood. It tends to have a mind of its own. It moves and breathes and will set about a plan to make a project harder than it probably should be. When it turns out right, it’s almost like making a friend with that piece of wood. I work in maple, mahogany, sapele, basswood, hickory, and walnut, which I confess I hold dear to my heart. There are hundreds more species out there, and I look forward to getting to know them as well.
What do I make? The truth is I have a list of things I haven’t made that stretches to the horizon. I’ve made signs of various size and complexity, trays, boxes, toys, table centerpieces, coasters, ornaments, a range of functional items, and of course the obligatory dimensional American flag. I enjoy the process of working out how to make things. I really enjoy the design process, making items that look beautiful and fit perfectly to purpose.
If you have an idea, something customized for you, something you can’t find anywhere else, I’d love to talk with you about making whatever it is that you have in mind.
Email: perkworks@jfperkins.com to contact me about your custom project.
