The Rebirth - Part 14

October 11, 2025

I was so excited to bring Silva & Ore back to life. I remember my last day at the "new" job.... I was so anxious to get outta there. I left that last day, got in my car with such relief and sped away without looking back.

That Monday, there I was in the shop. Bound and determined to make it all happen.

With adding the laser, I was suddenly put in a new place. And with so many new possibilities, what was I going to do?

I had always intended to make tables again. I love live edge tables and it was something that I loved doing. We even set ourselves up in the beginning with a home made router sled. Nick was going to router slabs, make metal legs and brackets and I would handle the rest.

We began.

We made a couple tables to sell and quickly found that Nick just really didn't have as much time or drive as before. And it began to get a little difficult to ever complete anything.

So I continued with all the things that I could do. Flight paddles, charcuterie boards, and this is when I really leaned into carving. And although its hell on the back, I loved doing it.... so I just kept coming out with more and more carvings.

I really enjoyed to the organic lines and curves of a carved leaf. I started searching out unique grains like crotch wood and fiddle back and birds eye... anything that was an attention getter. Finding cherry crotch wood grains was the hardest. Any time I managed to find them, I snatched them up! Smooth, clean, clear grains became what I didn't want.

As I carved and made other stuff, I also really took time to learn the laser. Even 2 years in as of now with the laser, I still learn new things. And I enjoy it so much! It allows me to work on lighter duty things when I have my struggle days or when a finished product is drying.

And as time went on, the tables began dying off. They just kinda faded away like a ghost dissipating in to the darkness.

-AJ