KineticWood Sculptures - About us
Kinetic Wood Sculpture.... What does it do?
Wind or spin our Kinetic Wood Wall Sculptures and they make mesmerizing patterns that will add a calming element to any room. Smooth randomness of direction and speed is what you will find in our sculptures..... the calming affect they create is our main goal.
The Price...its good. The wood finish & movement is even better!
We have a great relationship with a great lumber mill, and love it as a medium. We buy container loads of the best quality Birch to develop many unique items.....this allows us to have an incredible value. Our staff at the overseas facility are masters in finishing wood & our sculptures have a finish that is superior to our competition even when they are 4 times the price. Our brilliant engineer refuses to retire at 87 years old & develops all the prototypes here in Northern Michigan.
Who keeps the wheels on the bus?
We are a Family owned business in Northern Michigan surrounded by the beautiful Great Lakes, and get inspiration for designs by our natural world and researching ancient Native American, Japanese, Arabic patterns. We have always been interested in building unique items from natural materials. The lead engineer has over 50+ years in the Tool & Die industry, and this project has become his passion! Our overseas facility is also family owned and operated with many family craftsman overseeing every aspect of the final Kinetic Wood sculpture. All design prototypes, testing & Graphic design is done by:
Don: Engineer with over 50+ years of experience in the Tool & Die industry.
Brian: Graphic designer, CNC router / laser files.
Dave: Got the job because he is Dons son :)
The fun & frustrating / The development process
If you change one thing to increase a wanted attribute ( such as run-time thru a higher torque spring ) it always causes a negative thing to happen ( Such as increase wheel speed/ hard transitions in wheel direction). We literally go to bed with a problem in our heads & sometimes wake up with a solution! Every aspect is engineered for a reason - From the material used as rocker arms to get smooth directional transitions, the type of oil in the bearings (ours are specially made for us) for a long smooth rotation, to engineering the wheels to be as close as possible to make the pattern visually "pop". Finding the magical balance for each different design is what makes it fun, being able to sell them at an affordable price is rewarding:) We are always developing new models, so please keep checking back!
I can make one myself?
Yes you can! There are plans out on the internet. You wont be able to make it for the price we sell it for ( material & paying yourself 1/2 of minimum wage!). We buy the wood, spring and all the components at a large discount. We have a professional staining booth that gives an incredible finish. Sculptures are rewarding to make, but the learning curve is large.... each sculpture has to be individually balanced due to the density differences in the wood at different locations. Its tricky, time consuming but fun. We recommend that you have a Co2 laser machine big enough to cut your entire decorative wheels so the balance is good & and a good drill press. Its tempting to make them run fast with a powerful spring, but they look better when they run slow while maintaining long run-times... this is the trick!
FAQ
Where does it ship from?
Ellsworth, Michigan USA
How long does it take to ship?
We usually ship the very next day! After that 3-7 days to your door.
What Method do you use to ship?
We ship FEDEX GROUND. We tag your email with tracking so you know where it is the whole time! If it is a gift you will know when it arrives to their door!
This is a gift, do i need a special gift receipt?
Nope, all of our sculptures ship with a packing list only.... So you are safe to ship with no special instructions. Your gift will be discreet automatically.
I have an issue?
No problem , send us a photo - We are proud of our sculptures and will make it right. Keep in mind this is a natural material, so each piece has unique wood grain and the different densities of the wood is actually what makes the sculptures "Naturally" off balance resulting in the back and forth motions that create great patterns. All pieces are hand sanded to get our rich finish.
Why the range in listed "Run-Times"
Wood has different densities, it also changes a bit due to humidity. This is why we must balance each wheel of each sculpture separately before it leaves our facility, making each piece a truly unique designed. Bearings as well will work slightly better in the warm temperatures than in cold....These all seam like slight changes, and they are but the complexity in our sculptures are so high that any variations will slightly affect the ending run time. We could make our constant force spring sculptures run faster to achieve a longer run-times, but this would take away from the slow & smooth affect we are wanting to achieve.... Its a balancing act!
Give us a shout with any questions: mecustomerserv@gmail.com