MASSO Makers Spotlight: William Roy

From restoring centuries-old landmarks in France to crafting complex 3D sculptures in Japan, William Roy has built a career that blends deep tradition with modern CNC technology. As founder of RoyMokkou, a small woodworking atelier in Miyagi, Japan, William’s journey is as remarkable as his creations. His dedication and innovation earned him a place as one of the winners in our first MASSO Makers competition.

A Craft Rooted in History

Born in France to a Franco-Japanese family, William began training as a joiner at the age of 15. He spent five years with the Compagnons du Devoir, the historic French guild of master craftsmen renowned for restoring landmarks such as Notre-Dame Cathedral. At 22, he moved to Japan and worked for a decade as a miyadaiku, a traditional carpenter specialising in temples and tea houses. In 2013, he established his own woodworking business.

Always eager to experiment, William even built some of his own machines. This included a 6-metre lathe for turning large temple columns, which he later modified into a 3-axis CNC machine. Teaching himself CNC machining, he sourced second-hand components and got the machine running with an old computer.

Expanding the Workshop’s Capabilities

What began with producing twisted wooden posts has grown into a diverse CNC operation. William now creates furniture parts, stair components, and highly detailed 3D sculptures. Today, much of his work focuses on machining wooden statues from 3D models, combining CAD design, digital sculpting, and 3D scanning.

His workshop is powered by MASSO G3 Touch controllers. They run both his imported 3-axis CNC router and a self-built 5-axis machine measuring approximately six metres in every direction. The new build is still in progress and will soon allow him to machine large-scale 3D objects with far greater precision and efficiency.

“It powers on very quickly and is very stable, which is basically all I ask for. I’ve been using it for more than a year without any problems.” — William Roy

A Standout Project in Cultural Preservation

One of William’s proudest achievements was recreating a pair of 300-year-old komainu (guardian lion-dogs) for a Shinto shrine. The original Edo-period sculptures had been badly damaged. He 3D-scanned the originals, digitally restored the missing features, and then machined the replicas from wood using traditional yosegi zukuri joinery. This approach allowed the originals to be safely stored while visitors could still enjoy accurate reproductions of the historic artworks.

Komainu CNC 3-axis machining in progress

Completed Komainu replica, delivered to the temple

View Video about Komainu CNC 3-axis machining

Overcoming CNC Challenges

Machining large pieces on a 3-axis CNC can be demanding. William often had to reposition workpieces multiple times to reach all details. The grain direction in real wood can also create rough fibres or cause delicate parts to break. Over time, he developed strategies such as adjusting toolpaths to follow the grain, taking lighter passes, and reinforcing fragile areas before cutting.

Interior CNC-cut in 2D and bent into shape

Curved staircase: 2D CNC-cut parts, CNC-turned balusters

View Video about curved staircase: 2D CNC-cut parts, CNC-turned balusters

Looking Ahead

William’s current goal is to complete his 5-axis CNC machine with a tool-changing system. This will remove the need for repeated repositioning and allow him to tackle even more ambitious projects. With MASSO as his controller, he is confident in taking his workshop to the next level.

Follow William’s Work

📍 Website: roymokkou.com

📹 YouTube: youtube.com/roymokkou

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/roymokkou

Additionally, William plans to replace the Chinese controller of his CNC wood lathe, which recently broke down, with a MASSO G3 Touch as well, once he has the time to do it.