17 Jul Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust Case Study
On Thursday, 23rd May 2024, HPC Laser visited Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust in Rotherham for the annual service of their LS6090 machine.
The stately home was built over four decades, starting circa 1745, and has had an expansive history since then, changing hands frequently from the late 1980s and eventually falling into near-ruin.
The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust purchased the estate in 2017, and have been working tirelessly ever since to regenerate the house and give it a new life. The details of the regeneration so far can be found on their website.
Their machine is cared for and used by volunteers Robin Linkens and Neil Clarke. Robin met with HPC Laser’s engineer in the house’s reception area, where many of the items cut or engraved by their LS6090 machine are for sale in their gift shop, with proceeds going directly to the Preservation Trust.
In another room on the first floor of the house stands a beautifully detailed lightbox. Created by Robin using the LS6090 for Christmas 2023, the lightbox depicts the house as it appears in their logo, engraved on to MDF, with the windows cut out for the light to shine through, just as the house would’ve appeared on Christmas evening when fully occupied around 300 years ago.
An image of the laser cut lightbox of the Wentworth Woodhouse
Robin is very knowledgable about the machine, and provided the HPC engineer with plenty of information about the machine’s care, service history, and even what the engineer had said at the previous service, 12 months before!
He shows great attention to detail, and makes notes during the machine’s annual services to ensure that he is caring for the lase cutting machine correctly, and is well-informed should they encounter any issues.
An image of Robin Linkens proudly standing next to his LaserScript LS6090
Why Did Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust Purchase Their LS6090?
In 2018, the Preservation Trust received a grant to replace the roof of the house – and someone had the marvellous idea to raise money by offering members of the public the opportunity to donate, in return for their loved one’s name to be engraved onto the new slate roof tiles, using a laser engraving machine.
Due to the sheer number of roof tiles needed, and the romanticism of a loved one’s name being immortalised in the roof of as stunning a location as Wentworth Woodhouse, this raised a lot of money.
So, it was decided that the laser cutting machine would continue to be used to create merchandise for further fundraising efforts thanks to its versatility in design capabilities, and the efficiency of being able to produce these items on-site.
Some of the laser cut products available to purchase from the gift shop
Stories Like This Are What Make HPC Laser Proud!
Many customers choose the LS6090 for projects like this, as the machine bed size is on the smaller scale at 600 x 900mm, therefore is compact enough to slot into a smaller workshop, whilst still having all of the features of our larger CO2 laser cutters, such as the LS1690.
Supplied with a 60w laser tube, the recommended cutting thickness is 10mm acrylic, with available tube upgrades to 80w, 130w, or 150w if this is insufficient for your requirements.
All HPC CO2 lasers have a location precision of <0.01mm, with a red dot pointer system for added accuracy, and are compatible with RD Works and Lightburn (here’s our full guide on the range of some of the laser cutting software available).
Channelling the combination of creativity and technology to fundraise for the ongoing renovation and preservation of history, Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust do great work with their laser machine, and HPC are grateful to them for their ongoing support, and for sharing their story.
Thank you to Robin Linkens for taking the time to tell HPC this story, and for taking such great care of their laser machine!
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