Sawmilling Ice for Dutch Parties and Events
Delighting your guests with masterful ice sculptures may not be the first idea that crosses your mind when planning an event. But The Rocks company puts a brand new perspective on high-class entertainment. The company has found creative ways to use the simple delicacy of ice, whether an intricately carved swan serves as a centerpiece or an elegant bar infused with dry ice that stays cold all evening long.
“Customers mostly expect speed, timely deliveries, and the best quality,” says Daniel Van Tongeren, the owner of The Rocks company. The Rocks always ensure that ice cubes are cut crystal-clear and square, and their creative artwork is never lacking.
The Rocks produces their ice blocks with a special machine manufactured by Clinebell, a commercial ice equipment maker. The machine extracts lime from the water, and once finished, the segments with lime must be sawn off. With the machine, The Rocks can make two ice blocks simultaneously, which takes around four days to complete.
To trim the ice, The Rocks purchased a Wood-Mizer LT15. The sawmill can cut slabs of ice as thick as 2-3 cm, sometimes as 1 cm. “It’s precise work,” Daniel says, “But the Wood-Mizer is great to work with. It allows us to cut any size and shape we need.”
The Rocks started with little know-how but a lot of ambition. After taking over a company that specialized in giant ice blocks, Daniel purchased his first Wood-Mizer. “We taught ourselves how to saw,” Daniel explains, “And the rest is history. The machine is easy to operate, and we use it for relatively simple purposes.”
The home of The Rocks was initially built for Daniel and his motorbike friends as a Friday night hangout, and since then has become “the hobby room” of their motor club. In his free days, Daniel loves to motorbike across the Dutch countryside. “Riding across the Netherlands brings me very close to nature, the outdoor life,” Daniel says. “I love nature. It’s peaceful and quiet.”
To learn more about The Rocks, visit their website here: https://therocks.nl/
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