The process of machining the bench was a complicated one.

Because the stock material was 20' long and the machine bed only 10' we had to think of the simplest way to order the cutting phases.  That is, the fewest moves of the stock material while on the machine.  Prior to cutting, the piece of LVL making up the sitting span of the ONE6 weighed over 600lbs.

First cut was the top sitting surface, we cut out a shallow dish across the length of the bench, it's very subtle, but when you sit on the bench you can feel it.

next we flipped the block on edge and used skill saws to remove as much material as possible before using the machine.  Cutting the waste material in this way not only saves machine time and wear, but it made for some leftovers that could be used in other projects.

once the saw roughing was complete, we placed the bench on the machine. Running a roughing pass using the machine to remove another layer of waste material.  This ensured that the final remaining waste material was an even thickness, allowing us to run the finishing pass at a faster speed because the tool engages the same amount of material per pass along the the whole length of the bench.

Finally the "step" for the leg joint and the slot for the LED lighting.

Here is some content we captured throughout the process. We will be assembling a "Making of" video once the bench is complete so check back. 

Right from the get-go, my partner Pat Christie and I identified a number things that we wanted to incorporate into our design based on the nature of the material and our combined skills. 

•  Our design needed to "span" as LVL beams are engineered for doing just that.
•  It had to showcase the "laminations" that made up the unique aesthetic of LVL multi-ply construction.
• The production process had to capitalize on the functionality of my 3 axis CNC machine which has a cutting bed of 5'x10'.
• The object needed to be well designed with the user in mind. Ergonomics, comfort etc...
• It had to bold.

This is the final design we decided to go with.  It addressed and exceeded all of our requirements.

  Concept 3D Render.

Ever since I saw a particular episode of 'grand designs' a few years ago,  I have wanted to make this.  

A bathroom vanity counter top made of laminated birch plywood, with the sink integrated to be all one piece.

Finally, a few years later now, a friend who will be renovating their bathroom gave me the go-ahead to make it for him.  

The glued up sink slices are then taken to the machine for the finishing cut pass.  Inside and out. 

  Next is a whole lot of sanding to make it nice and smooth, then back to the machine to cut the drain hole.

Drain Hole is cut, the dish is sanded, and we are ready to start glueing up the counter portion. 

But because of how many pieces I had to glue up to make the counter portion, and how little time there is to glue and get the pieces in the clamps, I forgot to take any photos of the glueing process.

after all the glueing was complete and the counter sections attached to the sink section the entire, now one piece, sink and counter needed to be planed down to be all even.

Next I attached some stiffening rails to the underside of the counter.  At this point, because of the lamination direction, the counter does not have any strength in the lengthwise direction other than the glue that is holding it together. so the 1" steel conduit pipes that I used keep the counter from flexing too much during transport.

Here I have temporarily placed the plumbing hardware into the counter and placed the backsplash in it's potentially final location.  It looks great!   next step is to epoxy the top and start sanding it down to that fine satin finish  that the client wants.

The Mirror coat epoxy was applied to the sink and it looks like it went on perfectly.

But as you can see in the second image while sanding the counter down to the satin finish I sanded right through the epoxy and into the wood.  This is no good.  I made 2 more attempts at painting on thin coats to cover the blemish and resanding to the satin finish, and on each occasion again sanding through the epoxy I have decided to look for another avenue for sealing this project.

I have come across a product called an Aliphatic Clearcoat, which can be sprayed on, it will not drip or leak, it sets quickly and can be applied in multiple coats to achieve a desired thickness.  Perfect,  if only I knew about this before.  So the product has been ordered and I am now waiting for it to arrive so I can take the counter to the paintbooth and have the coating applied.  Hopefully this will work as intended and I can soon deliver this beautiful bathroom vanity counter to its owner.

In March of 2012, We bought a house and moved to Mission.  

While cleaning up all that the previous owners had left behind, I found a large piece of some kind of wood.    It looked like nice wood.  so I decided that I needed to make a serving tray out of it.

We completed the LUX visual effects company sign in august of 2010, it was made from local storm-fall western red maple.  The tree fell not far from where the CNC machine shop is.    

The sign measures 66" wide by 39" tall, and 3" deep.  The lighting and the backdrop were completed by another company.