Each piece we create is a labor of love, preserving the rich history of old farm sites and honoring the craftsmanship of generations past.<\/p>\n
Our passion lies in the details – the faint pencil mark left by a craftsman 150 years ago still fills us with awe and wonder. This reverence for history infuses every project we undertake.<\/p>\n
While we cherish the old, we’re equally excited about creating the new. Whether you have a specific vision or prefer to draw inspiration from our extensive portfolio of over 1000 mantels and 200 tables, we’re here to bring your dream piece to life.<\/p>\n
To add an extra dimension to our work, we collaborate with Wyatt at WLB Blacksmith Shop, a true artisan whose exceptional metalwork complements our wooden creations perfectly.<\/p>\n
I think our history is an important part of our story. For working in the computer biz in the early days of the web, I eventually got laid off from a fast-paced dot-com company called Net Perceptions. It was one of those moments where I could continue on the same path or take a different route. So, we started the next chapter in our journey.<\/p>\n
In 2004, some friends of ours had given us some barn lumber from a barn that they had recently dismantled. They had hired a gentleman to take it down carefully board by board. They were ahead of their time. They tried to sell the wood, but there really weren\u2019t any buyers if it wasn\u2019t fully denailed and ready to go. There were only a couple of reclaimed wood companies in Minnesota at the time. I got the big old beams and was planning to make a garden arbor out of them. But I looked at the stuff and said to myself, \u201cthere\u2019s got to be a business using this old wood.\u201d The garden arbor never got fully built, but the business did.<\/p>\n
We started out making reclaimed wood flooring. We went all the way from barn dismantling to denailing wood, sawing, milling, and eventually to installing. We would see a tremendous amount of nice wood get turned unto sawdust. It was also a crazy, stupid idea to go from end-to-end. Of course, in 2008, we also saw the housing crash. As we saw the housing market decline, we re-focused on tables, mantels, and countertops. This allowed us to make the best use out of the precious old reclaimed wood. We could select the best sticks of wood and craft wonderful heirloom pieces of furniture. It moved us away from a commodity business and into an artist based business. It was a wonderful choice and a challenging one as well.<\/p>\n
But this is also a story about a family business. In 2002, we had a nearly five-year-old son but then were blessed with a set of triplets \u2014 two girls and another boy. Let\u2019s make life as stressful as possible. Let\u2019s try to start a business with 2-year-old triplets in tow. Our business has been more like running a family farm. Everyone helped do whatever they could. We hired helpers from time to time, but for the most part, it\u2019s been the six of us.<\/p>\n
The kids were on barn sites picking up nails and learning to count before they were in school. Our oldest son sold his first table that he built when he was 12. We also had the kids make \u201cblock frames\u201d and sell them at craft sales. That was one of the ways they saved money for college. They were even in an episode of American Pickers with their work. Now, the kids are all off to college or have their own careers. It is my wife and I who do all of the work. We answer the phones, tend to website, and work with these great old pieces of wood.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been blessed to have an opportunity to create some great work over the years. We\u2019re very proud of the portfolio that we\u2019ve put together. But just as important, if not more so, we\u2019re feel great about how we\u2019ve worked with customers over the years. We\u2019ve worked very hard to have outstanding relationships. I never imagined getting hugs from people we just met, but that\u2019s not uncommon in our workshop. It\u2019s great to feel good about doing solid work and hopefully leaving the world a little bit better place than when we found it.<\/p>\n
After all of these years, it is still a blessing. And in the end, I guess that\u2019s a job well done and life worth living.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re always happy to chat via email, on the phone, or in person at our workshop in Gaylord, Minnesota.<\/p>\n","url":"https:\/\/antiquewoodworks.com\/","url_text":"antiquewoodworks.com","main_services":"Custom Tables, Wood Countertops, Faux Beams, Reclaimed Wood, Fireplace Mantels, Wood Shelves, Conference Room Tables, Industrial Tables, Communal Table, Barn Wood","image_1":"https:\/\/diib.com\/featuredmembers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-Antique-Woodworks.jpg","client_review":"","why_we":"","history":"","image_2":false,"image_3":false},"yoast_head":"\n