Giant 17ft Eagle - Built by Bernie Jestrabek-Hart

Bernie Jestrabek-Hart, an Idaho Sculpture Artist, shares her experiences using the Samson® plasma cutting machine in a major sculpture project for a Canadian community. Bernie said, "I am thoroughly enjoying this wonderful machine. My business, Sculptures by BJH LLC, purchased the Samson table in March of this year."

Bernie is currently working on monumental eagle sculptures using the Samson machine for the Golden Ears Bridge Project in Canada. Bernie said, "Here the Samson is cutting part of one of the four 17 foot wingspan eagles that I am creating for the Golden Ears Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia."

"In the past, I cut them out manually. It took a lot of time and my right hand began to hurt. I have tried to have several companies cut out my eagle pattern to make the style of eagles I needed and only one would try it. They all said it was too complicated with too many parts, many of which are too small. The company that finally tried it was not able to bring in the complete pattern… I had to determine the size of each individual part separately. With my Samson plasma table, I am able to bring in the complete pattern and size it together. That is a real asset as I make many different sizes."

In addition to eagle sculptures, Bernie uses the Samson machine for different applications. "We make items for my sculptures, tools, machine parts, signs, portraits in metal, and even jewelry. I am truly amazed at how small it can cut… I am sure there are other uses that I will discover along the way. My Samson has become an integral part of my business and I highly recommend it."

For more information on this project, visit Bernie Jestrabek-Hart's website or Vancouver's Golden Ears Bridge Project.
All photos in this article are Copyright © Bernie Jestrabek-Hart.