The nuts and bolts of art: Ray Egger turns scraps into treasures

Jun 05, 2025

Rusty nuts and bolts, discarded links of sturdy metal chains – where most people see junk, Ray Egger sees art.

His projects started with wood scraps.

When he retired after more than three decades as an arborist with Avista, Egger knew he wanted to stay busy. A new housing project was underway in his Indian Trails neighborhood.

“I picked up scraps of wood they used for concrete forms and cleaned them up,” he recalled.

Then he let his imagination soar.

From hot rods made of pine to a logging truck made of hardwood, Egger didn’t get far from his life among the trees.

For five years, he made dozens of pull toys for kids undergoing cancer treatment and gave most of the rest of his art away.

“I kept the pieces I liked best.”

He created a chipper truck as a nod to his career. The vehicle is used in forestry, landscaping, and tree removal to transport wood chips and other debris. Egger personalized it by etching “Trees by Woody” on its side. Woody was his nickname on the job.

“I spent years in a chipper truck,” he said.

An intricately detailed Indy race car delighted him.

“I could see it finished before I was done.”

A mortar represents his time in the Army during the Vietnam War.

“I served with the 11th Bravo infantry,” Egger said. “I was part of the Tet Offensive.”

But his childhood spent on a small farm in Chewelah pulled at him.

“My dad taught me to weld,” said Egger. “Five years ago, I sold all my woodworking stuff and went to metal.”

Using scrap steel culled from recycling venues and garage sales and even a box of nuts and bolts from Facebook Marketplace, he creates metal sculptures of things that catch his fancy.

From dogs with curved tails and small bolts for legs to an articulated dump truck with hex nuts for wheels, each piece springs from Egger’s imagination.

Like his wooden art, he gives most of his sculptures to friends and family.

A sleek MiG-15 plane on a stand is polished and ready to go.

“It’s for my grandson’s birthday. He wants to be a pilot,” Egger said. “A tank I made earlier is going to a grandson who’s a Marine.”

This isn’t lightweight art. A steel semi hauling an excavator weighs 40 pounds.

“That was really fun to build! It had a lot of parts and took a lot of time.”

He spends about 40 hours creating each item.

The first step is removing rust from the metal with an angle grinder. After he finishes a piece, he sprays it with a clear coat to prevent oxidation.

Cars, motorcycles and trucks come to life under his skilled hands. Details like crafting a pickup’s exhaust pipes from the ends of Phillips screwdrivers add to the fun.

In addition to vehicles, Egger has made a grand piano, a lawn mower and a snowblower. The latter two were gifts for a nephew.

Even business card holders have a fun bent under the heat of his acetylene torch.

“The idea came out of my head,” he said, pointing to a park bench and a star cradling his cards.

Egger finds that steel is a less forgiving medium than wood.

“You can sand and re-cut wood if you make a mistake,” he said. “With metal, you need to be more precise.”

The fun of watching scraps of steel reborn into works of art offers immense satisfaction, but that’s not the only reward.

He follows two strict rules: “I don’t take orders, and I don’t sell anything.”

His greatest enjoyment comes in gifting his creations to loved ones.

“The best part is giving it away,” Egger said. “The joy on people’s faces is unreal.”

Contact Cindy Hval at [email protected]

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