ABOUT US

Santa Cruz Engraving is a full service engraving and woodworking company committed to providing our customers with the finest quality in design and production. 

We are committed to creating the finest products through our professional excellence in engraving and etching.

Our customers come first, and whether it be an award, placard, wooden sign, pint glass, customized gift, metal marking, wedding gift, or name plate, we have a solution and a benefit for you.

No matter the project, person, or company, our standards remain the same.

WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY

Today Santa Cruz Engraving Co. is located in Aptos, Ca, and although we still do love making phenolic labels for electrical companies, we are doing much more than that! SCEC works with general contractors, water companies, county offices, commercial real estate, tech companies, solar contractors, and restaurants. We also work with any person who is kind enough to give us a call and collaborate on a custom project with us!

In addition to our largely diversified client base, we now boast an ever-growing list of services. With two different engraving machines in the shop, we are able to provide a vast number of engraved products, ranging from finely etched site directory maps for the fire department all the way to custom maple engraved resin-poured charcuterie boards.

The OG machine is a small 8”x12” CNC that is the work horse for most of the phenolic label work. We are able to efficiently etch any letters and numbers into and out of acrylic, creating custom-made signage of any kind. Our newer machine is an Epilog C02 laser engraver that can handle up to 18”x24” engraving surfaces. This machine has capabilities to precisely engrave and cut just about any design into maple, mahogany, walnut, and other wood. The Epilog also utilizes a rotary attachment that can etch glassware to give it a nice frosty marking or add a custom logo or design to your favorite coffee traveler.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

First, a tad about where I’m from…

I was raised in the small San Lorenzo Valley town of Ben Lomond, Ca. The Valley to us is a nice place to call home with giant Redwoods and….well mostly giant Redwoods. And of course a Big Foot museum. Oh, and the Brookdale Lodge…look that up if you wanna get a little creeped out. Many folks in California love it here because of the multitude of 73 degree days where the sun is shining, and you can work on your tan, however, my favorite part of this sliver of the state that I call home is a Winter storm. Nothing quite beats it. You go out, get gas for the generator in case of a power outage, grab some Round Table Pizza or Red Pearl Chinese, and then head back home to fire up the wood stove fireplace, crack a window to hear the rain, and all feels perfectly at peace.

WHY ENGRAVING

Engraving was my first job dating back to when I was a young lad at the age of 8. I made a whopping $.10 per label which was enough for me to buy cotton candy and see a movie every couple of weeks. 

My dad was my primary inspiration. He would engrave electrical labels as a side hustle to make extra money for the family while also doing sales for an electrical distributor. He got his start by purchasing a pantograph engraver - an ancient technology compared to today’s standards.  He’d work in the garage in the evenings with a kerosine heater to keep warm. I loved helping him out when I could, and this eventually became where I liked to spend most of my time. Both a pass-time and a passion, I knew this is the type of business I wanted to begin.