We are full of parts.
When we purchased our CNC machine, we had long debates about how it would be used. That recurring question, “What is handmade?” kept surfacing. We debated between efficiency and profit vs. “true craftsmanship.” Use of the machine became a moral issue to all of us. We found we felt comfortable using it for some things, but not others.
And so we landed here: the CNC is used mostly for parts making, when we have an order for a large quantity of similar or same pieces. It is also used for engraving or for cutting complicated or rounded shapes. Because of this designation, the CNC is very rarely used in the making of our residential furniture and instead is revved up for our academic and library work.
And that is where we are now. Parts.
We are in the process of three large academic projects: 135 chairs for a university dining hall, 20 study carrels for a university library, and 30 chairs and 40 end panels for an independent school library. All at once.
That CNC is humming.
You can see that our decisions around the use of the CNC were good ones. Here are some photos of the piles of parts around the shop. All of these photos were taken in the morning, last Friday, the 10th.
This means that next week we will assemble, assemble, assemble. It’s gonna get noisy.