When oil field work slowed, Acadiana man turned woodworking hobby into a business

Ross Fruge handmakes household and gift items out of finished wood and metal with his small business Relic Custom Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, May 9, 2022.

Ross Fruge handmakes residence and gift products out of concluded wooden and metal with his modest enterprise Relic Customized Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, May 9, 2022.

PATTERSON — The cabinets in Ross Fruge’s steel shop maintain stacks of reclaimed cypress, black walnut and purpleheart lumber, completely ready and waiting around to be transformed into anything new.

Fruge, 33, turns these planks into yard swings, mattress frames, toy chests and more as a result of his organization, Relic Personalized Woodwork.

His biggest assignments so far have been a pair of sliding barn doorways and a huge gun cabinet that he intended from scratch. Figuring that out was 50 % the entertaining.

“It is challenging to obtain plans for tasks,” he said.

He talks with purchasers to ascertain tough dimensions and other information, like wanting drawers or a specified sort of type.

“Then I sit down with my graph paper,” he explained with a smile. “9 times out of 10, what I get when I’m completed is not what I started out with. It’ll be the similar concept but diverse.”

That’s just one of the points he loves about woodworking — freestyling it, he states, and heading from nothing at all to a thing.

Combining layout with arms-on function

Fruge grew up in Patterson with several in his family doing work in business fishing. He’s applied to remaining outdoors and doing the job with his hands, but the function tended to be extra mechanical rather than wooden-based mostly and far more focused on solving a challenge than planning one thing new.

Ross Fruge handmakes household and gift items out of finished wood and metal with his small business Relic Custom Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, May 9, 2022.

Ross Fruge handmakes residence and present objects out of completed wood and metal with his compact company Relic Customized Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, Could 9, 2022.

“It was extra like correcting the boat, patching the aluminum, repairing the internet,” he said.

Woodworking has combined that hands-on emotion with a new obstacle. He enjoys the creative imagination of it as effectively as finding to perform in his shop.

“Particularly in the wintertime, I like to get in the drop, switch my audio on — I hate sanding, but even an hour of sanding is far better than an hour carrying out other handbook labor,” Fruge claimed. “I am not a affected person human being, but functioning as a result of a venture, you get by way of it.”

The songs helps him get in the zone, and he is acquired a different playlist.

“If you seem at my Spotify you’ll uncover Patsy Cline, George Strait, Lil Wayne, the Doors,” he admitted. “And it is really just one proper immediately after the other. You never ever know what is actually future.”

Turning a pastime into a business enterprise

Fruge owns his individual oil industry inspection company, and he started woodworking several years back as anything to do on the side.

“It was more of a enthusiasm, a interest,” he claimed.

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Then about four or 5 many years ago, oil subject do the job dried up a bit, and he leaned into his enthusiasm project. Relic Customized Woodwork took off and seemed additional like his full-time occupation.

That harmony has flipped back about the final yr, with oil discipline operate choosing again up, but he nonetheless receives in his shed when he can.

Ross Fruge handmakes household and gift items out of finished wood and metal with his small business Relic Custom Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, May 9, 2022.

Ross Fruge handmakes residence and reward merchandise out of concluded wood and steel with his compact organization Relic Custom made Woodwork in Patterson. Monday, May 9, 2022.

A number of performs in progress in there ideal now are bases for swings and frames for a twin bed established. And his major sellers, and maybe his most loved to make, are little table-and-chair sets for little ones.

He enjoys the function and keeps looking for new problems within just it. He’s acquired textbooks on joinery and is generally locating a new tutorial on YouTube to watch.

Fruge also likes to get some in-individual knowledge from Dwayne Broussard, a master woodworker with many years of experience who lives close by.

“I go choose his mind,” he claimed. As well as, he is Fruge’s resource for reclaimed wood.

His spouse, Lindsey Fruge, also can help out when it will come to style, he mentioned. A seamstress, she crafts and embroiders kid’s clothing through her have organization, Peace by Piece.

They stability work with everyday living and four kids— ages 13, 9, 7 and 3 and routines like travel baseball. Fruge also umpires in his totally free time.

Get in touch with kid’s challenges reporter Leigh Guidry
at [email protected] or on Twitter @LeighGGuidry.

This report initially appeared on Lafayette Each day Advertiser: Patterson woodworker transforms hobby into organization : Acadiana Makers