Woodworking Support Specialist
Heartwood Carving, Inc.
West Eugene, Oregon
My position was to produce glued-up blocks of solid wood in oak, cherry alder, walnut, poplar, maple, mahogany, sapele, hickory, etc. for three dimensional carving on the flat bed cnc's. One machine was set up for 360 degree full-round carving for columns, posts, finials, etc. On some packages I would assemble carved components into newel posts, build free-standing screens with carved panels, interior doors with carved elements and create display fixtures for sales and marketing.There was a full wood shop for milling materials prior to carving and I would provide many of the items needed for production. I developed knock-down methods for making carved oval ceiling units for upscale motor coaches shippable for out-of-state assembly.I helped to improve the quality of manufactured components by using time-tested woodworking procedures that would allow wooden materials to be shipped nationwide, without many of the moisture related issues from causing problems associated with arriving in different climates. I taught the other employees in the shop how to read wood grain and direction prior to milling or gluing up in order to minimize glue lines and to balance out wood movement. I tried to improve the level of safety in the shop by endorsing proper safety procedures on the machines. The maintenance of the machinery in the wood shop was my responsibility and I kept a simple schedule of needs.I was frequently asked to go to the local wood distributors and hand pick materials for certain projects. The use of grain and color was very important to the carving process so that there were no stark contrasts in built-up products.I began to learn to run the cnc machines, and while I was responsible for one particular program and the start-to-finish production of this item, there was just not enough time for me to continue to run the machines and take care of all of the other requirements of my position.