Topographic Furniture:
Sam Sheckells found his niche in designing topographic furniture. Specifically, tables and wall art that feature 3D carving of elevation map geography. From the Pakistani Himalayas to lakes in South Dakota and volcanic calderas in Australia, topographic maps are a unique way to display a scaled-down replica of terrain that holds meaning to an individual or group. And there’s a special piece of USA-made machinery that made this dream a reality for Sam: The ShopBot PRSalpha CNC machine at Open Works in Baltimore.
The Process:
Once a location is chosen, Sam creates a digital elevation model (DEM), brings that file into Autodesk Fusion to resize and manipulate the topography to fit the project and to program the CNC, which is then posted out to the ShopBot CNC machine. Sam uses parallel machining, which is a CAM (Computer Aided Machining) strategy in which the cutter is programed to move in evenly spaced, parallel passes over a surface. Bits used are a 1/2” spiral upcut endmill for roughing and then changing to a 1/4” upcut ball-nose end mill for finishing. A few unique processes are then used for color and sealant involving copper-infused paint and a spray-on oxidizing solution that creates bright blue spots (as seen in the example below).
Desks and other items:
Sam also creates custom desks, cabinetry, and architectural items. The ShopBot CNC produces parts for these projects, with Sam stating, “the precision, speed and repeatability of the ShopBot amplify my productivity significantly compared to doing everything by hand”.
Project 028 – Custom Partners Desk:
ShopBot has reposted a bunch of Sam’s ShopBot CNC-based projects on our socials in the past, but this is the one that stopped us in our tracks. Clean and classic design element, dual functionality, plenty of storage, and finished to perfectly fit the room, dimensionally and color-wise. With skills to create desks, cabinetry and unique décor that only a high-quality CNC machine can help achieve, you may now realize why high quality equates to high value. Sam is a talented designer/builder and available to talk commissions!
Sam Sheckells started his own business in 2022. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Art. Sam worked in a machine shop after college where he learned the basics of CNC programming and machining. After finding his niche with topographic map furniture and running his own business part-time for a few years, Sam left his day job in architecture to pursue his own business full-time in October 2024.
See more and contact Sam at:
https://www.facebook.com/topoform
https://www.instagram.com/topoform.co
(updated 11/12/25 – business name + links)
(updated 5/12/26 – YouTube video)