When Pat and Kelly Haskins set up their first ever sales booth at the Saint Mary Holiday Bazaar, they hoped to sell a few of the signs they had created over the summer. Instead, they came away with an overwhelming pile of custom orders.
“We had a lot of cute things, but mostly people wanted custom work,” explained Kelly. “We had a great response. We’re just having so much fun with this!”
“Christmas was very intense here,” she added. “We didn’t even decorate, we were just too busy. We did our own shopping the day before Christmas.”
Despite the hectic season, it was an encouraging way to launch a new, part-time business. It’s something they fell into, really, said Pat. The idea came as they were decorating the kids rooms; they have a 10-year-old daughter Grace, a one-year-old son, Tyson and another boy on the way. They were purchasing wooden blocks and other décor and Pat said, “We could do better then this.”
And they can ‘do better then this.’ Using a computer-driven router, the Haskins team up to produce two and three dimensional works in wood.
They work together, but each has their niche. Pat designs the three dimensional projects and runs the router used to carve them. Kelly designs the two dimensional pieces and does the finishing work, sanding, staining and painting. Pat does a lot of work on police and military themes — he’s a sheriff deputy and served in the armed forces. Kelly does a lot of household décor — she’s been a cake decorator and loves crafts.
“There’s things that he does, that I can’t do, and vice versa,” explained Kelly. “We have a really artistic eye.”
They are still adjusting their work, finding their niche. “I’ve learned to get a lot more detail of the machine,” Pat explained. Hard woods work best, although they are more expensive. Softwoods are cheaper, pine especially can be very beautiful, but they hold less detail.
“We always have a project in the works,” said Pat. “We work a lot with people, developing the designs. A lot of our customers have been repeat customers.
“Mostly we’ve been doing a lot custom work,” he added.
Their work incorporates a mix of purchased designs and ones they have generated, some from photographs.
Pat currently works as a deputy for the Wasco County Sheriff’s department. They wanted a business they could pursue from their home as Kelly raises the children, and have up and running when Pat retires six to eight years into the future.
“A self-sustaining business, that is the ultimate goal,” he explained.
For Kelly, running a business is nothing new. “I’ve always ventured out, willing to take a risk,” she said. “You have to have a steady income, though, to not put your family at risk.”
So far the new business is a good fit. “I love custom work, creating something really unique and beautiful for a family,” she said. “They’re so excited when they hang it up, their taking pictures with it. It’s nice to be appreciated.”
“We’ve had a lot of support from our friends and family, the community,” Pat agreed.
Because the work is done first on a computer, they are able to show a “proof” of the design to the customer. They can look at the size, evaluate the design, before work even begins.
Once a project is finalized, and the wood selected, work begins on the sign itself. The wood is cut to size and planed smooth, then mounted on the router. Each project is carved using a series of “tool passes.” A complicated, three dimensional project can take hours for the machine to cut.
For example, and 9-inch diameter plaque he created for the sheriff’s department took the machine four hours to cut. The longest carve to date was 10 hours.
Although they have to be nearby, they only have to check the machine occasionally. If the power goes out mid-project, they have to begin again.
Once the carving is done, the project has to be sanded smooth and painted or stained. Most receive a coat of varathane to add gloss and protect the wood.
Custom projects cost from $60 to $120, depending on the size, complexity and wood.
They work together on each project, and expect their kids to join in when they are older. Their work can be found on their Facebook page or at www.haskinswoodndesigns.etsy.com.
“It’s all come together very well for us,” said Kelly. “This is a nice, family bonding thing for us.”
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