Tyler Cartner, founder of Wire Monkey

The maker behind the Monkey

Hi, I'm Tyler.

I started Wire Monkey in 2018 by accident, really. My wife had just gotten into sourdough, and I watched her struggling to score a loaf with a razor blade on a coffee stirrer. I'd just finished building a CNC machine and was itching to use it, so I made her a lame. Of course, at the time I didn't even know what a 'lame' was.

Tyler Cartner, Founder, Wire Monkey

Whale to UFO

My first design was an abstract sperm whale that took single-edged carpet-cutting razors. I really dug how it looked, but it was too labor intensive to make. After making about fifty of them I decided to create something that was made for folks who liked to hold a razor for scoring, a simple circle: the UFO was born. The UFO lame turned a hobby into a business. Later I teamed up with the artist Anna Gabur, whose design on the UFO Bread Journey is still a favorite.

I've always loved the look of black walnut more than other wood. It's dark and dense, easy to work with, and it smells pleasant when sanded, cut or hot branded.Tyler Cartner

Made well, made small

Every lame is made from American lumber, milled here in the U.S., and conditioned with fractionated coconut oil instead of chemical coatings. There are no plastics in what we make or in how we pack them and our pouches are made from upcycled leather. In four years we've used roughly four black walnut trees' worth of wood. The low volume isn't a limitation; it's the point. It's part of what makes us sustainable.

I keep a sketchbook handy and scribble in it when the muse strikes. I only want to make things that either don't exist or that I can drastically improve upon.Tyler Cartner

The best ideas come from bakers

The Goose, our first handled lame, was made to hold like a paintbrush. Some of the best ideas come straight from the people using them: when a baker with a hand disability asked for a UFO lame that was easier to grip, I set to work and made the Nux.

I've always made things

Before lames, I built and sold vacuum-tube pre-amplifiers for audiophiles. I played in a band for years. The need to create has always been a big part of who I am; Wire Monkey is just the latest shape it's taken. I stopped setting myself arbitrary deadlines a while ago. I realized I'd been manufacturing my own stress. I'd rather make good things at a human pace.

I hire folks with good work ethics and who are kind. It's pretty much that simple. I like people who work just as hard when they are not being watched.Tyler Cartner

Made in Connecticut, given back to bakers

We pay living wages, and we make and ship everything ourselves here in Connecticut. We love to give back to the community we love; the Real Bread Campaign, UNICEF, and Bread Houses Network. Over seven years that's added up to more than $15,000 raised.

Thanks for being here.

Every lame you buy keeps a small, independent shop making beautiful things.

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