It takes an extremely skilled team to create our imaginative projects. More importantly, it takes a team that works well together, each doing their specialized task and also helping each other. Lainey is our youngest team member and has been working with us since she finished high school a few years ago. Lainey’s critical role in our company is that of a support person, and this involves a wide variety of tasks. She does landscaping and housekeeping at the Hazelnut Inn, helps with the kids, as well as many jobs in the shop. Loved by all, and always eager, cheerful and helpful, she needs little direction. Lainey works full-time each summer, and part-time when she returns to the University each fall. This coming fall, she has a very full schedule in school as she does her third and fourth year studies and has decided to take a leave of three months at work. Today was Lainey’s last day at work (for now), and the entire crew was delighted to surprise her with a lunch barbecue to send her off to her studies. We wish Lainey well and look forward to her return in the new year.
Pirate ship stern
One more day of welding is needed to finish the stern portion of the pirate ship armature for Vala’s Pumpkin Patch. This massive piece certainly dominates the shop! As fast as I complete the welding of the pencil rod armature, the crew is close behind, tying on the diamond lath. The poop deck, which is now fully wired, will be mounted on top of the stern when it arrives in Nebraska. When fully assembled, the ship will be over twenty-two feet tall, twenty-eight feet long and just a little under eight and a half feet wide.
Routing the dragon beams
We’ve begun work on the large custom-made chandelier for the Copper Crown. There is no artistic rendering, but Peter and I have discussed it at length and are clear about how it will look when finished. Peter first sculpted a dragon’s head, scanned it with his phone and then created a digital model. This model was imported into our software to create a CNC router file. We added a wood texture to the file, so the final result will appear to be a heavy wood beam. Our ShopSabre routed the halves of the textured beams. Next, we’ll cut cores with a chase for the wiring. The two crossed beams will be assembled with a steel ring embedded through them to hold up the dripping candle lights. Stay tuned to see this exciting project become a reality…
