Cedar & Sail's Josh Pigford is an Alabama Maker with an itch for working with his hands

Published On: 08.20.18 |

By: Brittany Dunn

Cedar & Sail’s Josh Pigford is an Alabama Maker with an itch for working with his hands

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Josh Pigford of Cedar & Sail is an Alabama Maker producing handmade products from concrete and molds he creates with a 3D printer. (Brittany Faush / Alabama NewsCenter)

Cedar & Sail, Birmingham

The Maker: Josh Pigford

Josh Pigford runs a software company during the day, but had the itch to start making things in his spare time. A year and a half ago, he started Cedar & Sail to create handmade products for homes.

“In the software world, it’s much more sort of an ephemeral like thing, this thing on the internet, so I wanted to get back to having these things you can hold,” he says. “Home décor stuff is a great way to do that.” In 2013, Pigford founded Baremetrics, a software company equipping businesses with the tools they need to help them grow.

Cedar & Sail is an Alabama Maker cementing his place with concrete decor from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Pigford enjoys creating things with his hands, especially since software is digital. Pigford bought a 3D printer a couple of years ago and thought about what he could make with it. He started creating shells and wondered what he could do with concrete. That printer led him to making pots, which allowed him to create planters, coasters, geometric shapes and candles.

From mixing the concrete to taking each piece out of the shell could take 30 minutes to an hour, but sanding, sealing and painting make that process even longer. Pigford sells anywhere from 30 to 50 items at a given market. Markets and online orders keeps him busy, but he says he enjoys it all.

“The idea of having this item that you can sell to someone, there’s something, there’s a little bit of, adrenaline is probably too strong of a word, but it’s a good feeling to have this thing that somebody wants to buy.”

Josh Pigford of Cedar & Sail is an Alabama Maker producing handmade products from concrete and molds he creates with a 3D printer. (Brittany Faush / Alabama NewsCenter)

Josh Pigford of Cedar & Sail was the featured Alabama Maker recently at the Market at Pepper Place, where he demonstrated how anyone can produce concrete decor using items as common as plastic cups and plates. (Michael Tomberlin / Alabama NewsCenter)

Josh Pigford of Cedar & Sail was the featured Alabama Maker at the Market at Pepper Place recently where he demonstrated how anyone can produce concrete decor using items as common as plastic cups and plates. (Michael Tomberlin / Alabama NewsCenter)