Process

With the products that I offer, there are a lot of steps involved, and each step presents several opportunities for error. Over the years, I have refined my process again and again through trial and error, until it looks like what you see today. With my custom development process, I have greatly reduced the risk for errors, and improved the overall quality of my products, so that everything that gets shipped out is only of the highest quality craftsmanship. Here is a little glimpse into what the production process entails.

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The Idea

Everything I make starts with an idea. A stroke of inspiration. A seed. Sometimes that idea comes in the form of seeing another product, an interesting color combination, watching a movie, or hearing a song. Other times, the idea comes from you, the consumer.

Typically, when I have an idea for a new project, it will sit in my head for a couple of days (or sometimes weeks) until I have a pretty clear understanding of what the end result should be. Once it's been in my head for a while, and I am fairly sure about what it is that I want to create, I take the idea to paper.

The Plan

The Plan

With a solid idea in my head, I start creating visual mock-ups of what the end result should look like. This allows me to get a rough visual of what colors will work best together, what color hardware will best showcase the materials that I am using, and what the right "balance" is, in terms of how much I should use of one material in contrast to another. At this stage, I can also figure out the "shape" of the product that I feel will best suit the user, while maintaining the integrity of the piece.

Once I have the design figured out, I then begin to plan the development process. The process varies with each project that I do, and at this point, I work on decoding the correct procedure to ensure that everything goes smoothly when I actually begin creating the product.

By the time this phase is complete, I have a clear understanding of what the end product should look like, as well as the steps that I need to take in order to make that happen.

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Prepping the materials

Once I have a solid blueprint of exactly what I am going to be creating, I acquire the necessary materials, and begin preparing them. Often times, the preparation work is the most time consuming part of my process. This phase involves me cutting the materials to size, drilling holes, sanding, trimming, measuring, gluing, etc. As the saying goes, "Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail." Once all of this has been completed, I am officially ready to start building.

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Construction

The construction phase is when I actually carve the project into the final shape. Most projects start out as a solid rectangular block, which is known as a spindle (hence, Spindlecraft). I begin by turning the project round. This is known as roughing. Once I have all of the corners cut off of the spindle, I continue roughing the overall size down, until it is getting close to the final circumference. Once I reach this point, I begin adding the necessary curves, beads, coves, and tapers. This phase is complete when I reach the intended shape and dimensions as determined in the planning phase.

Turning
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Finishing & Assembly

The finishing process is the most rewarding phase of the project, but also the phase with the highest stakes. By this point, I have several hours invested into the project, and to mess it up now would result in several hours of wasted effort. With that being said, when the finishing process goes as planned, the natural beauty of the materials that are being used are revealed, and the product goes from "nice" to "gorgeous".

Once the finish has been applied, a final polish is performed, and then the product is assembled. This is the product that will get shipped to the customer.

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Photography

Before I send any product to a customer, I always make sure to take photos of each product for two reasons. First, it allows me to keep a log of all of the work that has passed through my shop. Second, it allows me to show the product to the customer before they actually receive it, so they can give me the nod of approval. If the customer feels that the product is off the mark, or not quite what they were hoping for, then I will try to figure out what went wrong, and then go back to the drawing board, to make the necessary adjustments.

Movie

Packaging & Shipping

Once the customer has given me their stamp of approval, I carefully construct the appropriate packaging, utilizing the wood chips from the product that I created for them (when available), along with the necessary care instructions and other swag. From there, it's off to the post office, where it will begin its journey to its eager new home.

Custom Orders

One of my true passions is creating custom pieces that will have special meaning to their recipients. If you want something custom made, I am more than happy to work with you in coming up with something you or a special someone will love. To get started, fill out the form, or send me an e-mail at info@spindlecraft.com.