from blank board to wall panel
A carved panel like the Orbita Grid passes through four pairs of hands before it reaches a wall. This is the route.
A wall panel begins flat: a treated board, checked for cup and twist, squared and set aside to settle in the workshop air. Wood keeps moving after it is cut. We give it time to stop arguing before anyone draws on it.
setting out
The geometry is set out by hand. On the Orbita Grid that means a lattice of squares, each carrying a circular opening, struck from centre lines rather than copied from a template. A millimetre of drift at the first square becomes a visible error at the last, so this stage is slow and quiet.
carving
The openings are cut, then the relief is carved and eased. Depth is what the panel is really made of: the carving only works when light can rake across it and throw shadow. Flat light flattens the piece, which is why we tell clients to hang it where a window or a picture light can reach it from the side.
finishing
Finishing is the longest stage. The panel is sanded through the grits, sealed, and rubbed back until the surface feels like something rather than looks like something. On the Ichthys the relief is picked out in a pale wash against a dark frame; on the Orbita the natural grain is left to carry the surface alone.
The carving only works when light can rake across it. Shadow is part of the material.
Then it waits for its wall. Panels ship in two to four weeks depending on the piece, and custom sizes are drawn up from the same set-out process, just with new centre lines.