When Mike Bowlby retired from the Sheriff’s Department, like most retirees do, he and his wife started looking for meaningful ways to keep busy – preferably one that was highly-rewarding, but without the stresses and obligations of a regular job.

They found what they were looking for by starting a CNC woodworking small business with the help of Digital Wood Carver.

Their journey started with a single DWC2440 CNC Router.

Mike began with carving police badges, and by now he’s sold hundreds of them in the United States and even some overseas!

His wife makes all kinds of signs and jewelry as well.

As the demand for larger projects increased, they’ve now fully transitioned to a DWC5100 commercial CNC, plus a 90 Watt Laser - both from Digital Wood Carver.

Here’s a walk through the Bowlby’s CNC success story, told by none other than the man himself.

How it Started

“My wife Krista and I started to make things from wood after I retired from the sheriff's department. We started a small business and started our carving with a Digital Wood Carver DWC2440.

“A friend of mine I went to the FBI National Academy with had one and recommended them. He said the customer service is better than anything I've ever seen in my life and he's absolutely right.”

“I like to carve police badges and I sell them. I've sold some just not only in the United States but outside the United States.

“We started off doing that until someone asked us to carve a 30 inch batch. So we couldn't carve a 30 inch badge based on the size of the machine we had, so we talked about it.

“We got a text kind of a broadcast from Laney, and they had one DWC5100 that they were going to sell before the price increase. We contacted Burl and asked him to hold it for us and drove down to Martinsville.

“Talked to Burl about it and what the differences were, the pluses, the minuses. We reorganized a little bit and they delivered it in August.

“So now we can now not only cut the small badges that we once did but we can cut something as wide as 50 inches and as long as 100.”

The DWC5100 Machine and 90-Watt Laser Quality 

“I seldom have any trouble with it.”

“The 220 volt, water-cooled spindle is much quieter than the router was and you can actually stand nearby and have a conversation while the spindle's running. The size of the table obviously was another factor, and just the sheer size and the weight of it and how well it's put together. 

“The good thing about it too, different from a router, not only are the feed rates but the speed rates of the router bit itself they're adjustable so you can vary the speed and feed rates which makes up the whole cutting process suit your project.

“The VCarve Software makes it so easy for the average person to use. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it.

“the laser does a lot of different things than the CNC does because it can do finer detail on smaller things”

“In January we bought a 90-Watt cabinet laser. My wife's wanted one for some time and she started working with it and it's just about running 24/7 ever since! 

“Krista's getting ready to cut some leather with our machine. She's also used her laser on canvas bags, cloth bags, cotton bags, acrylic…”

“It's helped us expand our business, and it's helped us meet new people.”

Starting with Zero CNC Experience

“I knew the concept [of CNC] but I knew nothing about programming. I knew nothing about how to make it run. I knew nothing about designing...”

“This whole CNC process is not very straightforward. It's complicated, but it can be learned. I learn a lot from videos, I learn a lot from other people who have experience. 

“With Laney's expertise and knowledge, passing that along in little bits so that I could absorb it and be able to retain it. Then I've learned enough that I can do a lot of things. 

“You can't take everybody's word as a gospel, you have to kind of make your own decisions based on what you know and the capabilities of the machine. But I have confidence in this machine that it'll do just about anything I want to do”

Why Digital Wood Carver?

“The fact that they're there anytime you call them for anything”

“I've talked to [Laney] enough that I can send him a text message and explain to him the problems I'm having problems with and he'll either send me back an answer or he'll call me within a few minutes.

“The customer service is outstanding. The company itself is outstanding, and I've met several of the guys that work there and they're all good people and they would stop to do anything they can to help you.”

And that’s a wrap!

We are extending our sincerest gratitude to the Bowlby family for sharing their inspiring CNC success story. It is our pleasure to be part of this journey and as always, we hope for nothing but better days ahead for you, your family, and your CNC business!

To learn more about Bowlbywood Creations and their wondrous custom-made products, you can visit their official website and Facebook Page.