Live from the Studio
A Day in the Life
By Ev
I wish I had a cool nickname. The Dreaded Woodworker calls me “Evil E,” but only when I’m on the “wheels of steel” (recording videos). All the rest of the time, I’m just “Ev.”
I start my day the same way he does, drinking coffee and thinking about Tazboards, and then doing my day job until the 5:00 whistle blows. After that my hand itches to pick up the wood burning pen or to get to work on our CNC router.
Today I’m working on a new design for my upcoming pyrography class, “Learn 2 Burn.” The goal is to create designs that are beautiful to look at but deceptively simple to create so the beginning pyrographer can both enjoy the class AND the end result! I’m always thinking ahead to what I can make that will utilize my CNC router as well as pyrography, to offer something that people can’t get anywhere else.
Dog-Mom Responsibilities
Lucky me, most days I get to work comfortably inside the house, where there is heating and air conditioning.
I also become the default dog-watcher, as our two fur babies love constant attention. They are often laying at my feet in the studio as I work and they bring me a ball to play with when they think I have been working too long.
Personalization
There are days, though, where I am out in the shop, keeping the Dreaded Woodworker company, because I also run our CNC Router, the Shapeoko, doing all the custom engraving and special shapes that customers like you request.
Additionally, we just recently installed our laser engraver for even more customization options and increased efficiency, especially for large jobs with logos (like multiple sets of coasters, for example), of which we’ve gotten several lately.
As for personalized gifts, I know it’s more efficient to pick one font and one design and do that same one over and over, but it’s hard to resist adding an extra flourish, or stalking you, the customer, on Instagram first to try to create a design that matches your personality for a TRULY one-of-a-kind customization.
An Artist’s Soul
I love Tazboards. I love being a maker. I love that this work has given me an avenue to be creative and stretch my artistic abilities in directions I never would have thought possible. From learning to run the CNC router from scratch with absolutely no machining experience whatsoever, to setting up our JTech laser engraver all by myself, to teaching myself how to design and carve in 3D, to talking (semi-intelligently) about GRBLs and Speeds and Feeds, and Vcarving, and the like… I love it all, and I’m excited to keep learning.
As the Dreaded Woodworker and I keep expanding our skill sets, we are excited to continually refresh what we offer—like custom earrings, hand-painted signs, wooden spoons, and a unique set of quirky character drawing kitchenware and coasters, inspired by my (occasional) daily portrait.