Ambassadors Make Laser Cut Ornaments

Laser Cut Ornaments for All Occassions

Kyle and Danelle Moffatt run Sticks and Doodles where they create laser cut ornaments and wood signs in Regina Saskatchewan. This fun and talented couple hold a special place in our hearts since they were our first Thunder Laser ambassadors ever!

From Humble Beginnings to TikTok Fame

In the span of just a few years, Kyle and Danelle grew their company from just to the 2 of them to a 9 person team! But, this couple aren’t just sign and ornament makers, they are also artists, prolific networkers and whether they admit it or not, amateur comedians. They have a sizeable following on Tiktok and Instagram where you can find them showing off their designs, production, and even acting out skits from the popular Canadian TV show Schitt’s Creek.

“(Posting online) gives us an opportunity to have some fun and it keeps us involved in our community and we have fun doing these things..we enjoyed making videos about making.”

@sticksanddoodles

“Like most sign companies, we started out with a scroll saw in the basement of our condo. I would sit on the toilet and scroll saw, with the seat down for the record!”

Running a laser cut ornaments business means Kyle and Danelle spend months preparing for Christmas. They started out with a scroll saw, but then switched to to using a laser for speed, so Danelle could focus on making and designing and Kyle could focus more on business development.

The first laser they purchased was technically meant for hobby use, so they quickly realized they needed to upgrade to a more professional machine, better equipped to meet the demands of their business growth. One of the main issues they encountered was they needed the ability to cut without leaving smoke marks which was challenging with the hobby laser.

“We started off with a cheaper laser, but it couldn’t keep up with what we wanted it to do. It wasn’t fast enough, it wasn’t powerful enough…it was not up to the standards we needed to actually produce product.”

Kyle explains, “…having a tool for your business … that’s able to meet the demand that you need, it really becomes essential… Not having to worry about things breaking, not having to worry about starting and stopping. Being able to make things fast, consistently, reliably.”

Kyle and Danelle started researching larger laser brands, and heard of Thunder Laser Canada through a friend in the community who was making fantastic work with his machine. AT the time, they hadn’t heard of Thunder Laser, but after researching and lurking on the Thunder Laser Owners Facebook Group they decided to take the plunge.

They first bought a Nova 35 because it was the biggest machine that could fit in their garage at the time. The following year they added two Nova 51 machines. They had originally considered purchasing a Nova 63, but realized the bed size of using the Nova 51 for sign making since it can could cut a half sheet of plywood at a time.

“Because so much of what we do is intricate and painted, we needed the able to paint before we cut. With the other laser we’d put masking tape on it, and then cut it, and then peel the masking tape off. The masking tape would catch fire or it would burn, or it would melt or it wouldn’t come off.. it was awful!”

The Laser Cut Ornaments Production Line

Once Kyle and Danelle moved into a commercial space, they had their shop upfront and their production and manufacturing in the back. Everything is done in house. Beside their machines, they have stacks of baking trays for storing pieces or projects in progress. The staff pre-paint the wood, and add adhesives before cutting on the lasers. The next steps is touch ups, which are completed on several big tables at the back of the shop.

“In its first year, we ran the Nova 35 24 hours a day for 3 months straight”

What Do Kyle and Danelle Think of the Thunder Laser?

Kyle and Danelle are in love with their Thunder machines describing them as “a tank..it’s like a piece of military equipment… the machine is so well made and so reliable.”

With the Thunder he says, “we got more power, a bigger bed we got a faster machine… the previous laser we had only worked when it was connected to wifi which is extremely difficult because wifi sucks in general, we had trouble with our wifi everyday.” Kyle explains all this as the quality of our video feed starts becoming pixelated -case in point.

"When you're dealing with businesses like ours where a laser down for a day can cost us $5000...we don't have time...we need to be able to talk to a real person."

“Having somebody to talk to at Thunder was a big deal to Kyle and Danelle. As small business owners, they know when they need help, they need it now or it could cost them.

With their second laser the Moffats knew they needed a company focused on customer support and wanted to avoid the (unfortunately) all too familiar experience of scrolling through endless support articles designed to save the company money, but ultimately not supporting customers directly.

“Thunder Laser has been good about always answering the phone, giving us guidance and they’ll rush things if we need them”

After several years, significant business growth and local success, Kyle and Danelle are in love with their Thunder Laser machines and credit the machines with helping them to scale their small business and do what they love everyday.

“I have no regrets on buying my Thunder, I wouldn’t consider buying from any other brand”