clear irons game board

Yesterday the fellas from Clear Irons (Eric and Robby) came up to Milwaukee so I could assist them in cutting a large walnut game board table. Clear Irons just purchased a new Laguna 4'x8' CNC router and so they visited the studio to learn about setup on the router. Eric wrote some code using HSMWorks and then we worked through the use of this code on my router that uses Mach3. The piece required two sided machining so I went through that with them. We had a couple glitches due to warped wood, but things worked out. It was really good to meet Robby and see Eric again and to share a little time chatting about design, ambition, business, and future plans while the router was running. It had been over a year since Eric and I had gotten together for some studio time so it was a long time coming.

Clear Irons is as busy as ever, and Eric's business is doing really well (thus the reason I don't see him much). I can tell Robby is a valuable asset to the company and that he is continually growing in all of the roles that he fulfills there. Their business capabilities are growing, as their shop is very well equipped to do everything from ideation, working prototypes, to production ready drawings. 

Design work and prototyping is the bread and butter but recently the fellas also made an attempt to create some awesome side projects after-hours, that allow them to play and have fun. Go check out their etsy site and see their awesome wallets and sketchbook covers and tell them that Frankie sent you. I've been using my Eric Larson designed wallet for six years and I'm happy to say that it's aging well and getting better with time. You won't need another wallet or sketchbook cover once you invest in some of their goods.