D&J Cabinet Co. expands business with Mastercam Art

The Challenge

Become more competitive by adding value to custom products. Generate new business opportunities by creating set art pieces that can be incorporated into furniture designs and specialty products.

• Improved cabinet making productivity with Mastercam.
• Ability to learn Mastercam Art by using the free educational module on streamingteacher.com.
• Help is available from responsive Mastercam Reseller as needed with Mastercam license.
• Control of art projects in fine detail

Being a small custom business with little opportunity to manufacture production volumes of furniture, these modest incremental improvements were exactly what he expected. What he did not anticipate, until he became deeply involved in the CAM software, was the added potential of using the software's advanced art generating capabilities. Using these features, Dave can create unique engraved components that not only add value to his existing products, but also open new sales opportunities for his business.

Dave got an introduction to his new router programming software, Mastercam X2 Router Level 1 by attending classes held by the local Mastercam dealer. Most of his fellow classmates were professional machinists who were learning to apply the software to their lathes and machining centers. In this group, he was definitely out of his element, but the dealer who taught the class pulled him through his basic training by giving Dave a lot of personal attention. This relationship with the Mastercam dealer continues to this day, because Dave purchased a Mastercam Maintenance agreement that gives him free software updates and access to advice over the phone or in person as often as he needs it (which can be as much as several times a day when he is in the middle of a new type of project).

The Mastercam dealer also gave Dave some unique advice on how to continue improving his CAM programming skills in a powerful and low-cost (and in this case, no-cost) learning environment. Streamingteacher.com offers six on-line video courses that teach various aspects of Mastercam. One of these, Mastercam Art, is offered entirely without charge. The dealer suggested that Dave could continue to refine his Mastercam skills by working his way through this course module. That's exactly what he did.

It was love at first sight. Not only did Dave's CAM programming skills improve, but he also gained a deep appreciation for the creative potential of the Mastercam software combined with the CNC router. This appreciation soon blossomed into a plan for how he could grow his business.

Mastercam Art is different, Dave says. "When I compose a picture, I am looking at all the negative and positive spaces and the various ways I might vary texture and depth of cut and improve perspective. Mastercam gives me all the tools to control every aspect of what my router is going to produce. As an artist, I am working with texture, depth of cut, and perspective. The software gives me total control over all of these so I am limited only by the capability of my machine and cutting tools."

To make an "e-carving", Dave will start by bringing a drawing or photo into Mastercam using the software's Raster-to-Vector conversion capabilities. The software offers many tools to automatically convert 2D line art into attractive 3D engravings but Dave does not rely on them. Instead, he uses Mastercam's extensive art tools, including Bézier curves, to create richly detailed, free-form art that emulates hand carving.

After working with Mastercam for about a year, Dave can produce a wood carving that might be used as a wall hanging or to decorate a piece of furniture in about the same time it would take a professional woodcarver to do it by hand. That is typically a day's work. The big difference is that when a hand carver wants to do another one, it takes him another day, but Dave just pushes a button.

A little over a year ago, Dave was computer illiterate; today he has several computers that he uses to run his router and create uniquely engraved woodwork. Immediate outlets for his creations are his own customers who would like to have engraved furniture but don't necessarily want to hire a wood carver. So his artistic capabilities have given Dave an opportunity to add value to his own custom furniture offerings, and a number of customers have taken advantage of it.

However, Dave's unique skills and training in art and woodworking production suggest many other business opportunities. Some of these he is actively pursuing, others are percolating in the background.

Set Panels: Dave is developing a library of what he calls "set panels" that can be used to decorate furniture or signage. This is a popular item for local businesses that want attractive, hand-carved looking signs or for home decorators looking to make a unique design statement on an armoire, wardrobe, bookcase, etc.

Decorated Newel Posts: At the bottom of a staircase, there are three locations to place panels with decorative engravings. D&J Cabinets now has a collection of panels that he offers to specialists in manufacturing staircase components. His foliage line consists of 4" x 4" panels that include unique oak leaf, grape, pinecone, and tree engravings. These offerings give staircase component manufacturers an additional opportunity to differentiate their product offerings with minimal additional cost.

Travel Art: Hand-carved plaques with unique local themes are popular items for gift shops. Being able to manufacture engravings as router art now puts these commemorative pieces within the price range of the average traveler. This capability also allows gift shops and other tourist-related retail outlets the ability to commission their own unique lines of products that they can sell at an attractive price - more than mass-produced goods but less than custom art work.

Coat Racks: Coat racks combine the appeal of local art themes with the practicality of use. Dave is marketing these within his own region as well as to retailers in travel destinations throughout the world.

Festival Promotions: Dave has been promoting his business by bringing his carvings to arts and crafts festivals. Sometimes at these expositions, he works on his creations with hand-carving tools to add some finishing touches that make them look a little more hand-carved. However, customers and prospects always know that what they are getting is computer-assisted and most don't mind.

Is router art "real" art? It depends on who you ask. Dave likens it to prints that artists make on a limited basis. If only a limited number is produced, the individual pieces hold their value. Dave has not implemented limited edition furniture engravings yet, but he believes it's an idea worthy of consideration, along with a few other ideas that customers and friends are offering him.

What he is doing, however, is using the extensive art generation capabilities of his router and CAM software to differentiate his business, compete more effectively, and add value to the products he manufactures.