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He Lasers Plat Maps, Photos Onto Wood Plaques
A photo of a 20-year-old township plat book page engraved on wood recently caught our attention. Jon Anderson created it on his commercial CO2 laser at his rural Iowa farm. It’s just one of the many items he creates with the laser and his CNC equipment as part of his sideline business, Anderson Custom Cuts.
“With the commercial laser, I can take any photo and burn it to wood,” he says.
Anderson, who farms 1,200 acres with his dad, focuses much of his work on agriculture. He’s engraved old photos as well as new photos of families with tractors or other farm equipment layered on a flag backdrop. His 2nd Amendment, Lord’s Prayer and Biker’s Prayer have also been popular.
Anderson’s first woodworking was done with scroll saws, starting about six years ago. When he was asked to create signs for the county courthouse, he invested in a CNC machine and the laser. Both help him to be more productive and flexible.
He had the idea to do township plat book pages but has had mixed success. Because of the small print for names and details, photos need to be very precise with high resolution and straight on. Sometimes they just won’t work, but he welcomes people to contact him if they are interested. The cost for an 11 by 14-in. engraving starts at $75.
He can create pieces up to 20 by 28 in. on his laser and his flags are usually 16 by 30 in. Most are done on Baltic birch because the engraving stands out on the light-colored, blemish-free wood. He has also worked with other hardwoods such as maple and oak.
While it’s not a full-time business, he finds time for wood engraving between fieldwork and during the winter.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jon Anderson, Anderson Custom Cuts, 28748 Co. Hwy. K45, Blencoe, Iowa 51523 (ph 712-420-1598; andersonenterllc@gmail.com; Facebook: Anderson Custom Cuts; Twitter: Jon Anderson@WoodworkFarmer).


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2022 - Volume #46, Issue #3