Beyond signs
As mentioned, Nicholson also uses his signmaking equipment to produce a wider range of wooden objects, including floor inlays, built by cutting interlocking pieces made from multiple types and colours of woods and veneers.
He made a table, for example, that features a maple leaf carved into wood and surrounded by concentric ‘ripples,’ radiating outward. To accomplish this project, he took a photo of a real leaf, then converted it into a toned extrusion. Drawing a cross-section of a ripple, he spun it around to create a 3-D shape, which he then used the router to machine into the rectangular top of a coffee table, where it would be protected beneath a glass top.
He has also built kitchen cabinets, custom trim and curved windows, among other objects.
“The router has many diverse possibilities,” Nicholson says. “It helps me supply virtually anything my customers can imagine. Advances in software offer an unprecedented opportunity for creative designers to produce their ideas in-house in full dimensionality. It has been a great adventure understanding the broad capabilities of signmaking technology and I continue to discover new possibilities on a regular basis.”
Jerry Fireman is president of Structured Information and writes articles on behalf of clients like Techno, which manufactures CNC routing systems. For more information, visit www.technocnc.com and www.gnicholsondesign.com.
