Six years ago, when I first turned on our CNC machine, I was absolutely fascinated to watch it create an idea that had previously only lived in my head. It was pure magic! Even after six years and countless projects it has never lost that wonder.

This week we hosted a three day gathering of some brilliant people in our shop, leaders in the CNC routing industry. Jeff Hartman, from Colorado, one the creators of EnRoute Software was joined by Shawn Kirsch, from Texas, head of project development at MultiCam routers, Craig Sior, from Idaho, motion control engineer at MultiCam, and Mark Hurt, from Hawaii, artist and machine operator extraordinaire and myself. Our goal was to put the first of the projects on our new four axis router, but also to discuss and chart the creative directions we were to head in the future years. The task ahead is huge, to develop software and figure out new applications for this relatively new technology. This will allow me as an artist to dream up new projects that will continually push the envelope of the machine capabilitiy.

We have now finished two of the three days of meetings. The time has flown by as so many possibilities are discussed. One idea leads to the next and the next. We'll start small, but our vision for the future is huge. Yesterday, we put the first piece onto the new machine, nothing particularly fascinating nor earth shattering. It was an oversized Coke bottle. But as the machine worked, slowly revealing the bottle shape inside a block of Precision Board, everyone present was excited for the future was being revealed before us. We could see what was possible down the road as each piece leapfrogs over the previous.

Where we will go in the next years I have no idea. But what I do know is that it will be a FUN ride!

-grampa dan