SWS Portfolio

Gettysburg Hotel plaque

I occasionally burn pieces for local businesses. This was for the Gettysburg Hotel, on a piece of cherry (surprisingly) that I obtained from a stack of wood in an outbuilding, beside a barn located on Pumping Station Road, just south of Gettysburg. I say surprisingly, because when I obtained the pieces (there were two) I […]

Beech Springs Farm (private commission)

The barn at Beech Springs Farm in Orrtanna (just a few miles west of Gettysburg) has been lovingly restored by the owners, Bill and Jayne Shord. She offers weddings, receptions and parties in the barn and on the surrounding grounds. Although Jayne has professionals tend some of the grounds, she also spends much of her […]

Chinese dragon (private commission)

A contractor from Westminister, Maryland, creates hand-turned bowls out of tree knots. His daughter loves Chinese dragons and he asked me to burn one for her birthday. Don drove it up to Gettysburg, and we met at a gas station off Route 15 where he handed me the piece. I asked, “What kind of dragon?” […]

Pride of Baltimore (private commission)

The Pride of Baltimore on wood door panel.

SAW Horse Farm (private commission)

SAW Horse Farm in Gettysburg is a private equestrian farm providing horse boarding, horse training, and riding services for horse owners and lovers. * My youngest daughter takes lessons here, and I gave this to the owner as a Christmas present. Burned on 1″ thick white oak floor plank. Look closely inside the barn: you […]

Meyer May House (private commission)

Frank Lloyd Wright house located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This two-story, T-plan residence is considered “Michigan’s Prairie masterpiece.” The house features pale brick, a hipped roof, lean masonry masses and long broad eaves. It is carefully sited to allow maximum southern exposure for the living room windows and skylights, and to create a spacious yard […]

Rosenbach (private commission)

Family name in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting, on barn siding.

Rotz Family Barm (private commission)

Family name in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting, on barn siding.

Family names

Always a crowd favorite, family names in Lincoln’s script.

Residence (private commission)

Observe window reflections on the solar panels.

Mike and Mike Tubas (private commission)

The Annual Holiday Tuba Carol Fest is very popular. I bumped into a member of the tuba ensemble who requested that I imprint their emblem.

Residence on Grier Nursery Road (private commission)

I create “white” trim with a burn pen, Dremel, X-Acto knives, and the reappropriation of a couple wood lathe chisels.

Helicopter (private commission)

Customer requested one for her son’s service helicopter.

Residence (private commission)

Homeowner wanted his house on wood from his own property.

Outer Banks beach scene (my wife’s 2024 birthday gift)

I burned an image of my two girls wading in the ocean while vacationing in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The swirls in the woodgrain brought the image to mind. I burned a deep, dark line for the horizon and then used the dremel and burn pens to highlight the grain here and there to […]

Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse (donation)

Built in 1855, the Gatehouse served as the headquarters for the Union Army’s XI Corps and was a strategic location on Cemetery Hill. This piece is priceless; I burned the Gatehouse image onto itself. What, you may ask, do I mean by that? This is a rotten piece of Gatehouse soffit that I obtained during […]

George Spangler Farm and Field Hospital: Barn (donation)

Donated to the Gettysburg Foundation. Burned on miscellaneous plank.

George Spangler Farm and Field Hospital: Summer kitchen (donation)

Donated to the Gettysburg Foundation. Burned on miscellaneous plank. Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead, CSA, died here on July 5, 1863, of wounds received in Pickett’s Charge on July 3.

George Spangler Farm and Field Hospital: House (donation)

Donated to the Gettysburg Foundation. Burned on miscellaneous plank.

Daniel Lady Farm: Barn and Home (donation)

This was burned on barnwood I obtained ze

Witness plaque (embossed)

Four score and seven years ago…

Wood is from a farm south of Gettysburg.

Dawg Gone Bees

I occasionally burn pieces for local businesses. This one is located on Baltimore Street, directly next to a Witness Tree, an old sycamore Lincoln walked past on his way to the National Cemetery.

GBURG “window decal”

The Gettysburg Hotel welcome amenity packages feature these items, alongside a variety of other products from Adams County and Gettysburg.

Gettysburg College: Penn Hall

These make great gifts for students, parents and alumni.

Gettysburg Hotel

I occasionally burn pieces for local businesses. I have several of these for sale in the Hotel Gift Shop, located next to the front desk. Look closely and you’ll notice I dremeled down into the wood to make the Hotel pillars pop out. I also made sure to highlight the flag and lampposts. Burned onto […]

Mason Dixon Distillery

I occasionally burn pieces for local Gettysburg businesses. This one is for the restaurant and distillery, hidden among a series of industrial buildings located on Water Street. The company logo is red, white and blue, so I used a dremel – in addition to the burner pens – to create the logo in 3D. I […]

Military portrait

My grandfather served in the Marines during WW2. Burning images, maps, and service records are great family gifts.

Sachs Covered Bridge

Looking south, from the road. This one’s hanging at the Gettysburg Frame Shop/Lord Nelson’s.

Tipton House (private residence)

You can visit the house on East Middle Street. Notice how things fade out to the left of the piece. By using a highly reconstructed image I can use my XTOOL D1Pro laser to create “photo sketch,” from which I hand embellish using my variable voltage dual pen burner.

Wedding gift (private commission)

There are many ways to show your love, appreciation, and support. Give something unique that they’ll never forget.

William Douglas Farm (private commission)

1826-1869

Witness plaque

Reproduction of a witness building plaque

Gettysburg

Burned onto vertical barn siding obtained from a farm south of town. Text is in the “1863 Gettysburg Font”, which simulates Lincoln’s handwriting.

Gettysburg script plaque

Burned onto a fence rail, obtained from a farm on Table Rock Road, just north of Gettysburg.

Gettysburg distance sign

Burned onto barn plank, from a farm on Pumping Station Road, located just south of Gettysburg. Let me know where you live and I’ll create one just for you!

Gettysburg address

On barn siding. Text is in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

1863: small desk decoration

Text and numbers are burned in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

1863: medium-sized desk decoration

On narrow barn wood door casing (?). Text and numbers are burned in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

Trostle Barn

On scrap barnwood.

The Farnsworth House

The Farnsworth House is located just south of Lincoln Square, on Baltimore Street. Famous for many reasons, but one of my favorite is 3rd story window. Confederate sharpshooters holed up in the attic, picking off Union soldiers and officers on Culps Hill. Union soldiers returned fire, and you can see their bullet holes in the […]

Presbyterian Church

Many buildings around town became a hospital for wounded soldiers, the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church being one of them. But additionally famous, it was a stop by Lincoln – and later, another U.S. president – that makes this church so historic. Our 16th President stopped here for a political event after his famous address, and 100 […]

Shriver House

In process, on hard oak fence rail.

The Wills House (draft and finished)

Completed product, and draft below.

The Wills House

The home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills.

124 (private commission)

This on Carlisle Street in Gettysburg. It was built as a single-family home in 1850, with 8 beds and 3.5 bath, at 5,100 sq ft. It has cedar shakes above the brick siding, and antique wavy glass panes and original shutters. We painted this several years ago.

Battlefield Bed and Breakfast barn (private commission)

Showing bushes, trees, and overgrown ivy climbing up the vertical barn siding boards.

Jennie Wade House

The Jennie Wade House

The Historic Round Barn & Farm Market

On barn beam. The Historic Round Barn & Farm Market is a family owned and operated farm market just 8 miles west of Gettysburg.  Built in 1914, it is one of only a handful of truly round barns surviving today.

Rupp House and Tannery (in process)

Burned on barn siding.

Rupp House and Tannery

Completed

1863 post

On severely damaged barn beam. Text is in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

1863 post

Before, during and after.

1863 post

On pegged mortise and tenon joint. Text is in Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting.

Iron Brigade monument detail

As one historian has concluded, the Iron Brigade was “Arguably the finest fighting unit of the Army of the Potomac” and “was both feared and respected by the enemy. The men could be easily distinguished by their tall black Hardee hats.” This unique unit, recruited from the Union’s mid-western states, contained five regiments: the 19th […]

Lutheran Seminary cupola

On June 30, 1863, Brigadier General John Buford climbed to the Cupola of the Lutheran Seminary Building, where he saw the campfires of thousands of Confederate soldiers burning to the west.  Predicting a clash was imminent, this view helped him lay out his lines of defense to protect Gettysburg’s pivotal road network. The next morning, […]

Pre-Civil War farmhouse

Pre-Civil War farmhouse located just west of Gettysburg. We’ve painted this several times. The house has been lovingly restored and maintained by a specialist in this period of history. It has fully working six over six single pane, antique wavy glass sash windows, swingable storm shutters (with metal strapped holdbacks), repointed stone walls, standing seam […]

Spanglers Spring

On miscellaneous plank. Note shading of arch, stone and dampness on steps.

CAUTION: BIOHAZARD

The perfect Father’s Day gift!

Helicopter (private commission

Newspaper

On basswood. War/political headlines, moon landing, birthday, sky’s the limit. This one is small with less detail, but we can go larger.

McPherson Barn (rundown backside)

Edward McPherson’s farm was a half mile west of Gettysburg, atop the ridge that also bears his name. (Tour map: Stone and Meredith Avenues) The area was the scene of intense fighting on July 1st, 1863, as Confederate General Henry Heth’s Division advanced towards Gettysburg against defending Union cavalry under General John Buford. Union reinforcements […]

Irish Brigade Monument

The monument is a Celtic cross supported by a granite base, standing 19’ 6” tall. It was sculpted by William R. O’Donovan, a former Confederate soldier who fought at Gettysburg. The front of the cross is an ornate bronze ornamented by a 2nd Corps trefoil, the numbers of the three New York regiments, the Seal […]

Gettysburg Coffee Company logo

I occasionally burn pieces for local businesses. This coffee shop is located across the street from the new Tour Center. Burned onto old barn siding from a farm south of town.

Map of Gettysburg

Sachs Covered Bridge

Sachs Covered Bridge (1854) called PA's most historic covered bridge.

Sachs Covered Bridge – Ghosts of Gettysburg version

Burned onto farm fence rail. Only available at the store.

Fort Pitt (in 3-D)

Burned onto 1″ thick white oak floor plank.

Eastern State Penitentiary

In process, on 1″ thick white oak floor plank.

B-52 crash (private commission)

Crashed on Iwo Jima. With beach, surf and various infantry/ landing craft in the background.

“Flying Tiger” P-40B

On 1″ thick white oak floor plank.

B-17

With “bullet holes”.

Vought F4U Corsair

American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Burned on scrapwood.

Canadian M4A1 “Grizzly”

Canadian-built M4A1 Sherman tank

USS Arizona

December 7, 1941.

P-51 Mustang

Controlling the air proved key to controlling the ground. The long-range P-51 Mustang fighter was invaluable to the Allied victory, enabling resumption of strategic bombing after heavy losses suffered by unescorted bombers in 1943. Developed for export to Britain, models modified by the British to use Rolls-Royce Merlin engines became America’s most capable wartime fighters. […]

Sherman tank: comparison

Bottom version comes directly out of the laser unit while the other is shaded, distressed and decorated.

D-DAY map

Burned on scrap wood, resting on my grandfather’s Iwo Jima shelter half.

“Caution Tetanus” beam segment

Millennium Falcon Cutting Board

Why not? I broke out the old, rarely used cutting board. I’ll burn on anything; this happens to be bamboo.