Jim Lohmann of Lohmann Woodcarving Company has been practicing woodcarving by hand for the past 45 years, getting his start in the Boston area, and then moving to Chicago. Today, Jim works from his workshop in Covington, Michigan where he has been practicing his craft for the past 30 years. For centuries, the “tools-of-the-trade” of a master woodcarver have been and still are pencil & paper, hand-forged chisels and unmatched artistic craftsmanship.
Jim still carves by hand & chisel but has also evolved his craft with the use of state-of-the-art digital technology. Today, you are just as likely to find Jim 3D sculpting in ZBrush, 3D modeling in Rhino and cutting 3 and 4 axis toolpaths in RhinoCAM!
Jim is often called upon to perform restoration work in and around the New England area. This restoration project is for the west arch of the gates of Washington Square in Salem Mass. The original bust was carved by the famed federal style architect Samuel McIntire (January 16, 1757 – February 6, 1811) who carved many likenesses of George Washington during his lifetime. The Arch has the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on one side and a large 42” tall bust of president George Washington on the other. The original bust, currently housed in a Salem museum, was scanned with a 3D scanner (3D part is shown here). Jim cut the half-size proof of concept prototype shown below in high density foam.
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 “I find RhinoCAM very user friendly. Setting up a part to machine is very easy and intuitive. RhinoCAM has done everything that I have ever asked it to do and it does it well – it just works!”Jim Lohmann, Owner/Operator, Lohmann Woodcarving Company, Covington, MI |
The Machining Job
In the top right image of the RhinoCAM display shown below, we see a 3 Axis Parallel Finishing toolpath being simulated on the 3D scan relief of President George Washington. The 3D scan of the original carving contained over 1.8 million facet triangles. The 3 Axis Parallel Finishing toolpath shown below is performed using a ⅛” ball mill, mixed cut direction, a cut angle of zero degrees and a stepover of 0.005”. The entry and exit are linear motions with straight cut connections. The finishing cutter path contains 1.9 million GOTO motions.
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More About Lohmann Woodcarving
Jim Lohmann has been practicing woodcarving by hand for the past 45 years, getting his start in the Boston area then moving to Chicago. Today Jim works from his shop in Covington, Michigan where he has been practicing his craft for the past 30 years. For more information about Jim and Lohmann Woodcarving we invite you to visit him online at digitalwoodcarving.com and these additional links:
