How It’s Made
Shop-Made Micarta
The process begins with gathering fabric and cutting it to size for our mold. In this case the material is upholstery from a recliner with sentimental family ties that had deteriorated to the point of being unusable.
The material is layered in a mold with epoxy resin and compressed. Once the epoxy cures, the result is a solid block of material ready for further processing.
The block is cut into blanks the right size for the various pen styles. In this case one piece of micarta was laminated with a chunk of walnut harvested from the same property where the chairs lived.
The blanks are turned to shape on the lathe, various finishes are applied, and the surface is polished to a high gloss.
Finally, the pens are assembled and ready to be enjoyed. The final products, pictured with the chair they came from and a young blonde Craftworker, circa 1979
The Truck Bar
This project began with a brand-new off the lot 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT bought to celebrate college graduation and then driven for over 20 years. Eventually it was unsafe to keep driving and uneconomical to keep fixing.
We cut off the front of the hood and fenders, the grill, bumper, and support structures.
Starting with a rectangular base and wheels, I started cutting, fitting and welding square tube and flat bar steel to create mounting points for all of the body panels
Once the framework was finished, including the cantilever frame for the bar top, the assembly was moved into its final location so that the electrical and cabinet work could be done.
The finished product with working headlights and turn signals, and a tempered glass top.
Lighted cabinet with sliding diamond plate doors around behind