October 25, 2024 Benchmark Abrasives

Jake Smith (@madebyjake_)

Welcome to this week's #benchmarkspotlight (formerly the #weldershowcase) - we had the opportunity to sit down with Jake from @madebyjake_ and talk a little shop.

If you would like to be featured in our weekly spotlight (100% FREE) and have a chance at winning one of our Grinder Hoods please send us an email to leo.benchmarkabrasives@gmail.com to get you scheduled in an upcoming week. And for those of you that take the time to share your story with us, we'd be happy to provide a free BA banner. These spotlights are intended to highlight your skill, your business, and your tips and tricks. Most of all it's to have a little fun!

Name: Jake Smith

Business Name: Jake Smith

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Socials: IG: @madebyjake_ FB: JakeUltraViolence

Website: Madebyjake.org

Specialties: Art, Pinstriping, Motorcycles, Sculpture, Architectural components

Tell us about yourself - what inspired you to get into your trade? And how long?

I grew up in Albuquerque, NM and I spent most of my childhood in my father's ceramics studio. This is where I first learned to start making things with my hands and where my early artistic exploration took place. When I was 13 I started riding motorcycles and becoming interested in custom motorcycles. Around this same time I started building lowrider bicycles, which was a huge part of Albuquerque culture in the 90’s and still is today. I eventually took a couple of welding classes and at 17, in 2003, I moved to Los Angeles to do a paid internship at Exile Cycles. After several years there, I started my own business and eventually moved back to Albuquerque. These days, I only occasionally do custom motorcycles. I focus mostly on art, sculpture and architectural components such as custom gates and railings.

What keeps you motivated throughout the day?
I don’t have a hard time staying motivated. For me, making things is a compulsion, almost an addiction. A better question for me is what keeps me focused. I have two kids, two dogs and a wife that depend on me to eat and live. They keep me focused on the projects that pay the bills, and help keep me from getting distracted with some wild art project that pops into my head.

What is your favorite shop tool and why?
I have a lot of cool equipment that I have collected over the last two decades, but I’m going to answer this question with a super useful tool that anyone reading this can have for a few dollars if not free. I fashioned a hammer from a railroad spike and an oversized nail I had laying around. I’ve had it for close to 10 years and it works incredibly as a body hammer, especially for hammering from the inside of a tight curve. It can also be clamped in a vice and used as a small dolly for metal shaping. I’ve made a bunch of different hammers, and even sell some pretty regularly, but this one has served me very well, even if it isn’t the prettiest hammer I’ve made.

What's your favorite piece that you've worked on?
If I had to choose one favorite project I’ve worked on, it would have to be the pair of eagles that I created for Forrest Hills Stadium. A good friend of mine, Norm Ruth, runs a printing company, called Deluxe Design, which tailors mainly to the festival and music industry. He worked on a project for Forrest Hills. He found out that they were looking to replace two stone eagles that had gone missing at some point in the stadium’s hundred year history, so he contacted me and brokered the deal. The result was a more modern version of the eagles, fabricated from steel and complete with an LED lighting package that could be controlled by the front of house during performances.

If you could have any job as it relates to question 1 what would it be and what would you do with that?
One of my major goals in life is to avoid having to punch a clock and work for someone else. I’m fairly content working by myself, out of my two car garage. Getting to the point of having a studio and equipment to accomplish projects is difficult. I have a dream to one day open an affordable live-work space to house and provide studio space to artists in a disenfranchised area of Albuquerque. It would have a centralized gallery and be the kind of space that can elevate a struggling neighborhood.

What BA product is your favorite and why?

Definitely the flap discs in all varieties. They last longer and cost way less than the competition. I love the scotch brite flap discs for metal finishing or prep for polishing.

What BA product surprised you in terms of quality - what about it set it apart from the competition?

I haven’t bought a product from BA that disappointed me. I was surprised how big a difference it made to buy the aluminum specific flap discs versus just using the regular ones on aluminum. They do a great job of plowing through the material quickly without clogging.

What tips and tricks do you have for us that might be different or eye opening for others to try with BA product?

If you use the brown roll-lock scotchbrite disk and put it in a drill press, you can get a really cool engine turned look on cold rolled sheet metal or aluminum.

If there was one person you could collaborate with - who would it be and why?

Salvador Dali. I love his work. He had a unique way of thinking about things. I almost feel as if I can see inside his head by looking at his work. I’m actually working on a small sculpture that is a tribute to his “Persistence of Memory” painting.

Do you have any advice for the next generation that you wish you had when you first started?

I would tell the next generation to learn practical skills that are adjacent to following their dreams and to avoid unnecessary debt. There are some trade schools out there that are very expensive and not always the best option. Before signing up for one of those, look and see if you can get the same skills from a community college for little or no money. There also may be shops willing to hire you on as a helper, this is a great way to grow skills and find out if the career you’re considering is something that you would enjoy and have an aptitude for.

What are your future plans for your shop?

I have no foreseeable plans to move out of my garage or to hire anyone. I like the flexibility of working from home and being close to my family during the day. I would like to get a shipping container or build on an extension so that I have a separate area for painting.