One of the earliest surviving photos from the shop, January 2021

In December 2020, McSquared Customs began in a small, makeshift workspace with a handful of basic tools and a lot of determination. There was no polished workshop, no production line, and no master plan—just raw lumber, borrowed ideas, and the willingness to learn by doing.

Early projects were for friends and family. Every cut, carve, and finish was a lesson. Mistakes were common, scrap wood piled up quickly, and techniques were tested over and over until something finally looked right.

The photo shown, taken in January 2021, is one of the earliest snapshots of that process: a rough, patriotic piece on the workbench, sawdust everywhere, and tools doing double duty. It wasn’t perfect, but it was real progress.

That first season in the shop set the tone for everything that followed: start simple, take pride in the work, and get a little better with every build.