Rudy Strom

Rudy was born in Lovell, Wyoming and grew up in nearby Cowley.  He began working at Big Horn Builder's Supply in Lovell at the age of 15 and later worked at the family owned lumberyard in Cowley. 

From 1982 to 1983, Rudy served a mission for his church in Peru.  He married Dorine Horrocks in 1985 and they now have four children.  

In 1988 Rudy Strom was elected mayor of Cowley at the age of 25.  

Having worked a number of years at an early age in the lumber business, Rudy developed a keen fondness for wood and its beauty and capabilities.  He also discovered  a unique talent in math and fell in love with electronics and computers. 

Rudy is always up for a joke.....

In 1989 Rudy came up with an idea of a three-dimensional  wood-carving machine using a “floating” router capable of moving in all three axis' of space.  

He returned to school in 1990 and earned an Electronic Engineering Degree at ITT Technical Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.  

This is also where he began work on a computer-controlled wood carving machine.  The first prototype was finished in 1994 and the last several years have been spent fine-tuning the machine, developing a business plan and securing financing for the business.  Strom Galleries is now in full production and is continually working on new designs.

The  DNC Machine

In 1989, Rudy Strom came up with an idea of a three-dimensional  wood-carving machine using a “floating” router capable of moving in all three axis' of space.  

The movement of this router is precisely controlled by a computer (up to a 2000th of an inch).   Rudy developed a unique and exclusive way to scan a three-dimensional object.   

This proprietary scanner digitizes a three-dimensional object and records the computer code which later controls the router’s movement.

Rudy Strom's  DNC Wood Carving Machine

Now the machine is used to reproduce any artistically carved object for mass production or reproduce existing artwork so that the artist can complete his work more efficiently and quickly.

The software of this machine can also be used to alter the size of the reproduced object by enlarging, reducing, or making a mirror image of the original piece. 

The capabilities of the DNC Wood Carving machine make the restoration of any
carved artwork much more cost effective then traditional hand carving.