News from the workshop

When Cornwall-based artist Abigail Reynolds brought us a cross‑section of ash and a request to etch a precise mathematical spiral into its surface, we knew the piece was destined for something special. It would sit centre stage at the London launch of Seven, the new novel by Joanna Kavenna — a moment where material, geometry and literature would meet in public for the first time. Our role was to translate a timeless mathematical form into the living grain of the wood.

The board began as a solid slice of ash with seventy‑five rings, each one a record of a year lived. Reynolds paired it with pieces shaped by natural processes rather than tools: smooth white flints gathered from the Thames, and hag stones from Margate, their holes carved slowly by clams before being cast in darkened bronze. Every material carried its own timescale.

To complete the work, Reynolds chose a spiral based on Voderberg tiling — a form of pure mathematics discovered in 1936. Its geometry is exact, endlessly repeating, and impossible to reproduce by hand with perfect fidelity. Laser etching was the ideal way to achieve the precision the pattern demanded.

Working directly onto the ash, we used the beam to burn the spiral into the surface, allowing the maths to unfold cleanly across the natural rings. The burn deepened the contrast of the grain, almost like developing a fingerprint. The pattern sits within the wood rather than on top of it, creating a tactile surface where the organic and the geometric meet.

And all of this happened in the aftermath of Storm Goretti. With no internet, a tree fallen across our workshop, and the usual rhythm of production completely upended, the process took on an unexpected drama of its own. In a way, the storm underscored the themes already present in the piece — time, disruption, natural forces shaping material.

Despite the chaos, the board emerged exactly as it needed to: a meeting point of ash, stone, bronze, mathematics and a beam of light, ready to take its place at the heart of Kavenna’s London launch.

Event organisers are moving away from buying off the shelf, plastic awards for their recipients. Many now want trophies which better reflect their own brand and values; are made from more sustainable materials which are durable, beautiful and cost effective.

At Cut By Beam we make a lot of trophies for sporting events, business award ceremonies and one-off commemorative pieces. Whilst we can also etch on to metal, glass and recycled plastic (or a combination of more than one material) most customers ask us to make them from wood.

There are many advantages to wooden trophies. 

• Durability: Wood is a strong and durable material that can withstand the test of time. Wooden trophies can last for many years without showing signs of wear and tear.
• Natural beauty: Wood has a natural beauty that can be enhanced with the right finish. Wooden trophies can be polished to a high shine or left with a natural finish, depending on the desired look.
• Personalisation: Wood can be easily engraved or stamped with text or designs, making it a great material for personalizing trophies.
• Cost-effective: Wood is a relatively inexpensive material, making it a cost-effective option for sports trophies.
• Eco-friendly: Wood is a renewable resource and can be sourced sustainably, making it a more environmentally friendly option compared to other materials such as plastic.

We offer a range of simple trophies in our webshop here. These designs are super cost effective. All you need do is give us your designs to etch on the front of them and we will do the rest.

But if you want something more bespoke, we can help you come up with any size, shape or range that you have in mind. e.g. differently sized 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards, with or without a painted background, cut through sections, layered with another material such as recycled acrylic.  Use our Contact form to tell us what you have in mind.

This trophy (below) was made for the Tour of Britain Cornwall leg back in 2021. You can read more about this one-off creation in our news post here.

And another bespoke design for a trophy is shown below - this time for a Cornish Shrimper sailing event and made from different wood types.

Conferences in 2023 are hopefully set to be more eco-friendly than ever. We've had a lot of enquiries this year from organisers who want to use more sustainable materials for things such as name badges and signage.

We're used to laser cutting wooden medals and awards for sporting events but we're struck by how many corporate or charity events are now thinking more carefully about the mass items they need for their attendees. The thought of handing out more single-use plastic goes against their (and our) company ethos and Cut By Beam can, for instance, turn around batches of individually named badges within about 10 days' notice.

Clients we have done name badges for over a number of years, include the Oxford Real Farming Conference #orfc and Surfers Against Sewage.

Wooden Name Badges

Just send us your logo, an idea of your design, size and any attachments (pins, magnetic strips, ribbons etc.) and a list of your delegates in a spreadsheet. We'll then do the rest. Price-wise you'll find that our laser cut name badges are very competitive when compared to their plastic counterparts; often cheaper. If you have a few last minute sign-ups we can always do the bulk run in advance and add any extras closer to your deadline.