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From Spreadsheets to Spools of Filament
So hey, I’m Scott. I’m the one behind LayRize. On paper, my life doesn’t look like the kind of story that ends with 3D printers and spools of filament.
I’ve spent most of my career buried in spreadsheets, crunching data, and working in insurance. Not exactly the stuff of maker legends, right?
But deep down I’ve always had this itch to build things, to make something that lasts.
Growing Up in Essex and Suffolk
When I was a kid, I grew up in Essex. Then when I was 11, we moved up to Suffolk. That move ended up being pretty important, because a couple of years later I met Jessica. I was 13, she was just a girl at school, and I had no clue she’d end up being my wife.
Funny how life works out.
By 21, things had got pretty real. I was at the University of East Anglia studying biomedicine, Jessica and I had just had our first baby, our son Logan.
Becoming a dad at that age really flipped everything for me.
Suddenly, every decision I made was about giving my family the best chance I could.
Career in Insurance & the Search for Meaning
That’s what led me into insurance. Honestly, it wasn’t passion that pulled me in, it was stability. I learned the ropes, worked my way into data science, and now I’m a pricing manager.
The job’s fine, and I like the people I work with, but I’d be lying if I said it filled me up. Most days I’d look at the numbers and think, is this it? Is this really how I want to spend my life?
I guess that’s why I’ve always found myself drifting back toward making things.
A few years ago I got into DIY. I built an office in my garage, put up stud walls, even took an angle grinder to cut a doorway with my father-in-law. Some projects turned out alright, some… let’s just say I learned a lot. You ever have that feeling of finishing a job and immediately spotting what you’d do differently if you could do it again? That’s me every time.
Then came 3D printing.
Discovering 3D Printing
I picked up a Creality K1C, thinking it would just be a fun little hobby. Within weeks I was hooked.
Suddenly I could take a roll of plastic filament and turn it into something brand new.
- A bracket for the house
- A toy for the kids
- Some random part I dreamed up
- I could even pull up CAD software and bring ideas straight out of my head into the real world.
It was the perfect mix of creativity and logic, and it clicked for me in a way nothing else had.
Why I Started LayRize
That’s where LayRize came in. I didn’t want this to just be my little side obsession. I wanted to share it.
I wanted to show people that you don’t need to be an engineer or have grown up in a workshop to make cool things. All you need is curiosity and a bit of persistence.
For me, 3D printing isn’t about competing with shops or churning out things you could buy online. It’s about the feeling you get when you hold something you imagined and actually made yourself. That’s the magic, and that’s what I want LayRize to be about.
What Drives Me
The values behind LayRize are simple but central to everything I do:
- Innovation: Every print starts with nothing more than an idea and a problem. I love the process of imagining something that didn’t exist yesterday and making it real today.
- Problem-Solving: Most of the best prints come from frustration: a tool that doesn’t fit, a bracket that doesn’t exist, a need that no store can satisfy. 3D printing lets us solve problems in ways that are unique and deeply personal.
- Iteration & Improvement: Perfection doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for it. Every design can be refined, tested, and improved, over and over again, until it’s better than before. That philosophy guides both my printing and my life.
I’m not here pretending to be the ultimate expert either. I’m still learning, and I want you to learn right alongside me. Maybe you just bought your first printer and you’re wondering where to even start, or maybe you’ve been tinkering for a while and want to take it up a notch. Either way, this is for you.
What I really love about this space is how open it is. Makers share. They collaborate. One person tweaks a design, another improves it, and suddenly a hundred people have something better than what they started with. I want LayRize to carry that same spirit. Sure, some things will be behind a paywall eventually (because life isn’t free), but a lot of what I create will be out there for anyone.
The Personal Side
Outside of all this, I’m just a husband and dad juggling life like everyone else. Jessica and I now have three kids - Logan, Lucas, and little Lyla. Lucas lives with type 1 diabetes, which has been tough but has also taught us resilience and how to celebrate small wins. Then there’s Raffie, our golden retriever puppy. Officially, he’s “Prince Rafferty” on the Kennel Club papers, but to us he’s just Raffy. He mostly exists to shed fur everywhere and drag me away from the printer when I’ve been sitting there too long.
I still mess about with DIY too, even if my projects aren’t perfect. Honestly, that’s kind of the point. You don’t have to wait until you’re perfect at something before you start. You just start, and you get better as you go. That’s true with printing, with projects, with pretty much anything in life.
Looking Forward
Looking ahead, I don’t want LayRize to stay just a website. I’d love for it to become a proper hub - a place where you can find guides, models, videos, and a bit of encouragement when you need it. Whether you’re here for a quick tip or to dive deeper into your own projects, I want you to feel like this is a place where you belong.
Join Me
Take a look
If you fancy sticking around, you can sign up for the newsletter, check out my YouTube channel, or just start making something and share it.
So if you’ve made it this far, thanks for being here. Seriously. It means a lot. I know the internet is full of noise and distractions, so the fact you’ve stuck around to read my story means you’re probably curious about this world of making things for yourself. That curiosity is the spark.
Even if it’s just your first little calibration cube, that’s a start. That tiny block of plastic might not look like much, but it’s proof you can take an idea and bring it into reality. The moment that print finishes, you’ve already joined the world of creators.
From there, it only grows. One print leads to another, and before you know it, you’re solving problems around the house, designing your own parts, or even making something that puts a smile on someone else’s face.
Because honestly, the world doesn’t just need more people buying stuff. We already have shops and warehouses full of things that might do the job, but they’re never quite your thing, are they?
It needs more people creating stuff.
And that could be you.
🛠 Share Your Experience
Tried this out, or have advice for other makers? Leave a comment and let’s learn together.