We try to cut and gather our wood early in the spring or late in the fall. Wish we could tell you that this is for some profound technical reason, but since we gather mainly dead standing or fallen trees, this is more to avoid the bugs than for any other reason. We don't mind putting a lot of sweat and tears into our furniture,... but blood, no thanks.
Above:Some see waste, we see treasure. Some of these fallen trees will soon be a part of our stash of raw material.
The logs and poles are cut to length in the forest, brought home, ends sealed with wax and then stacked outdoors with the bark still on and allowed to dry for at least a year. Leaving the bark on and sealing the ends slows the drying process and minimizes checking; the natural splitting of logs along the grain that occurs as the result of the wood cells shrinking and the fibers separating from the evacuation of water. Even dry, dead standing trees can have a surprising amount of moisture left in them. At this point we have no guarantee as as to the final useability of each individual log. We do what we can to control the drying, but at this point it's still sometimes like rolling the dice. Those logs that end up checking too much become firewood.
Above:One of our Lodgepole Pine log piles drying. We tarp some of these piles for part of the year depending on how much rain we get.
The wilderness around our home provides a virtual cornucopia of raw materials. Pine, spruce, cedar, diamond willow, alder, and even the aromatic juniper can be found in the mountains and valleys all around us.
Preparing the Logs
When the logs are dry enough, hand peeling begins. This is achieved using a large scorp, a sort of U-bent drawknife. A uniform cutting motion and a tender touch are necessary for a smooth finish. The wife has become so skilled and quick at this peeling technique that you can just about run your hand along the peeled logs without getting a sliver! And that's before sanding even starts. The burls, cat's faces, diamonds and other wild characters in the wood take a lot of meticulous hours of work to debark and clean properly with varying sizes of gouges, chisels and scorps. The results, though, are well worth it.
(Picture Coming Soon)
Left: Here's a couple of burled poles with the outer bark peeled; but there's still lots of cleaning and sanding left to do. These poles will look great as structural or decorative accent pieces in a project.
Right:Deformities such as the "Cat's Face" on this pine are sought after characteristics for log furniture building. These scars are likely caused by deer feeding on the bark and the soft outer wood when the tree was but a sapling. As the tree matures over the years the bark and fresh wood growth forms a distinct raised border around the old scar of bare wood.
Left:Any logs that have twists and bends such as this one are a great find. The problem with such wood is that there is a lot of pressure at the bends and as the water evaporates from these areas they really tend to split. They have to be dried VERY slowly to avoid major checking and still remain useful for furniture building. Otherwise they're just firewood. There's always a price for beauty!
Right:These sticks, poles and logs are fully peeled and ready for project construction. The only limitation is our or your imagination. Although these poles are mainly straight stock and not very spectacular on their own, they still remain the backbone of a lot of our products and take on a whole new look when assembled into one of our unique creations.
Left:Twisted sticks, drying and waiting their turn to be applied to some work of art. These could find their way to becoming drawer pulls, canes, chair rungs or even decorative accents.
Construction
We use traditional looking mortise and tenon joinery for the majority of our log to log connections. But looks can be deceiving. Inside the joint itself is where this similarity ends. We have over the years developed techniques to ensure a strong and lasting mortise and tenon joint unparalleled in the industry. What you don't see in log furniture is just as, or even more, important than what you do see. A simple screw and glue is just not enough for a durable, unyielding joint.
Drawer corners are all dovetailed for a strong locking joint offering plenty of gluing surface area and that exceptional sign of quality. Quite often this joint is still pinned with a wood dowel for added strength. We truly believe in creating heirloom quality products.
Right:All our drawers have dovetailed corner joints. We usually use poplar for drawer case construction and pine or split log for the drawer fronts. For the drawer bottoms our preferred choice is a white melamine covered hardboard for ease of cleaning.
Cabinet cases such as dressers are made of 3/4 inch laminated pine sides, quality plywood backs, pine face framing, poplar or pine inner cleats and supports, and a 'secret' top made to withstand the test of time. The tops are trimmed with split log edging to match the log legs and upper and lower split log case trim.
Depending on the function of the piece of furniture, we apply either easy gliders or slide preventers to the leg bottoms. Drawer and door pulls can be log, forked branch, shed antler or appropriate metal hardware. Other hardware such as drawer slides, hinges, latches, vents, etc. are all of very high quality. Little expense is spared here.
(Picture Coming Soon)
Finishing
Sanding of all the log and dimensional parts is done with a variety of sanding tools such as drum, oscillating and pad sanders. This is followed by hand sanding down to 180 grit until a smooth, snag free finish is achieved. There are no short cuts here, just lots of time and elbow grease.
We use a variety of finishes for our log furniture such as lacquer, Danish oil, Tung oil, Varathane, etc. It all depends on the intended use of the piece. Make sure you don't use any cleaning solvents on our furniture. A simple light, dry dusting with a soft rag is all that is necessary. The odor of lemon dusting compounds may smell nice, but it does little to protect or condition the wood. If you need to wash off stubborn dirt or spills, use a soft rag with some warm soapy water and gentle hand pressure. That's all there is to it.
Our log furniture is meticulously created to last several lifetimes with just a little care and only occasional maintenance. Over the years the odd screw may have to be retightened, the finish may wear in some spots and need to be retouched, or upholstery may need to be replaced. That's normal wear and tear for any fine furniture. Just like with fine automobiles - it doesn't matter how much you originally spent on the car, a little or a lot, you still need to change the oil and rotate the tires once in a while during its life.
Left: Here's a couple of burled poles with the outer bark peeled; but there's still lots of cleaning and sanding left to do. These poles will look great as structural or decorative accent pieces in a project.
Right: Deformities such as the "Cat's Face" on this pine are sought after characteristics for log furniture building. These scars are likely caused by deer feeding on the bark and the soft outer wood when the tree was but a sapling. As the tree matures over the years the bark and fresh wood growth forms a distinct raised border around the old scar of bare wood.
Left: Any logs that have twists and bends such as this one are a great find. The problem with such wood is that there is a lot of pressure at the bends and as the water evaporates from these areas they really tend to split. They have to be dried VERY slowly to avoid major checking and still remain useful for furniture building. Otherwise they're just firewood. There's always a price for beauty! 
Right: These sticks, poles and logs are fully peeled and ready for project construction. The only limitation is our or your imagination. Although these poles are mainly straight stock and not very spectacular on their own, they still remain the backbone of a lot of our products and take on a whole new look when assembled into one of our unique creations. 
Left: Twisted sticks, drying and waiting their turn to be applied to some work of art. These could find their way to becoming drawer pulls, canes, chair rungs or even decorative accents.
Right: All our drawers have dovetailed corner joints. We usually use poplar for drawer case construction and pine or split log for the drawer fronts. For the drawer bottoms our preferred choice is a white melamine covered hardboard for ease of cleaning. 