Spring in the Showroom

As spring has allowed for at least a moment or two of sunlight, I was able to finally capture some shots of the Lohr Woodworking Studio showroom. If you have perused our new website, you have seen that the showroom is open for visits upon request/reservation so we wanted to give the world a peak into what we have in stock upstairs.

On the second floor of the barn, in what was once Jeff's first woodshop on the property, there is a showroom of the finished pieces for sale. The pieces up for grabs include, but are not limited to: a cherry table sofa and morris chair, a ghost (spalted) maple and walnut coffee table, a set of dining room chairs, a walnut and oak cabinet, Jeff's original arts & crafts style floor and table-top lamps, and even a few live edge tables! All of these pieces are handmade by Jeff and/or Rob and are awaiting visitors. I can post photographs all over but nothing compares to coming in to sit on, feel, and see close up the details of this furniture. We encourage people to turn the pieces upside-down, open drawers and doors, and ask questions about the joinery. These pieces are meant to be used as much as they are meant to be admired!

Now that the harshness of winter seems to have subsided, the showroom is already getting visitors. After 15 years, last weekend Barbara decided it was time to swing by Lohr Woodworking and see what had developed since her last visit.

Barbara has a deep-rooted respect and admiration of arts and crafts style furniture as she is, and has been, actively involved with the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. The museum "is the centerpiece of Gustav Stickley’s early 20th century country estate" and "is one of the most significant landmarks of the American Arts and Crafts movement."  She has been been president of Craftsman Farms Foundation (which runs the Stickley Museum) for three years, serves on multiple Committees, Chairs the Executive and Development Committees, and still has found time to volunteer her services as a docent. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two about the history, purpose, and design elements of the Arts & Crafts movement and thus style that Jeff incorporates into his own custom furniture.

Up in the showroom, only a few furniture pieces made from the English brown oak burl log that came from the Alnwick Castle (one of the filming sites for the Harry Potter films) remain unclaimed. These highly figured and unique burl slabs were cut from an entirely-burl oak log brought over from the UK and most of it's pieces have found their place in client homes around the nation. Two of the tables that we still have are in the form of live edge side tables and a third in the form of a live edge cocktail table. After Barbara's visit this weekend, only two of the tables remain in the showroom. We are happy, as always, to see a piece of furniture find a new home and sincerely hope that Barbara enjoys her first Lohr Woodworking table for years to come!

In JD Lohr School of Woodworking news, we have added a Lohr Woodworking Community forum to our school website. All alumni or registered students our course(s) are encouraged to join the group and start up the conversation! We aim to provide a resource for our beloved woodworking students to chat, share, ask, and brag before and after they visit us for class(es).

My First Trip to Hearne Hardwoods

Since day one of working at the shop, I have heard nothing but praise, excited description, and anecdotes from my fellow Lohr Woodworking staff members about Hearne Hardwoods. After 8 months of building positive, high expectations, I finally got the chance to take my first trip out to Oxford, PA to see it for myself.

Spoiler Alert: I was not disappointed

It all began as a live edge, burl slab shopping mission for a recently commissioned project. Because they are credited as being "one of the largest specialty lumberyards in the world," Hearne Hardwood was the destination for such a purchase. Beyond that, Jeff and Rick Hearne have a friendship dating back to years when I was learning my multiplication tables so, it was just as much a trip to visit an old friend.

The part of the mission to find the perfect material for the project was successfully completed. A selection of incredible slabs that matched the guidelines for our project awaited us in one of the massive hangars that are loaded with collections of stacked and dried material. I can't even begin to tell you how extensive their selection is. The project we were shopping for had specific requirements and, the very patient, Ed let us move all the slabs around, inspect their twists/curves, and photograph every possible book match pair. We settled on the beauties you see pictured. By lunchtime, we loaded up the truck with two beautiful live edge, Big Leaf Maple burl slabs! But, alas, our trip did not end here! The rest of the day was composed of a continuation of the most magical woodworking-related adventures I've had to date.

First, I saw the most massive band saw mill that man has ever created. Although the previous statement may be slightly apprentice-naivety induced exaggeration, it is a 67" vertical band saw mill and, as you can see, it's huge.

The gentleman running the mill sits in a booth and controls the machine as it moves the log around, rolling it this way and that way until it's positioned perfectly. Then, the log is wheeled through the band saw blade like butter through a warm knife. It was incredible.

Next, we were given a tour of the house. Although we were warned of it's status as a "construction zone", it was still more beautiful than I can put into words. So kindly escorted by Brian Hearne and Ric Allison, we were led upstairs to meet this beauty; A Ric Allison sofa nearly complete and as stunning as they come. Behind it, stands a banister with Allison-crafted spindles. I can't even wrap my brain around how objects so breathtaking are made yet but, like Jeff's work, they serve as one hell of an inspiration.

Above the living room hovers a catwalk that sits gracefully atop the ceiling beams. An equally-as-beautiful staircase led the way to the catwalk that curved it's way toward a bedroom. The lighting, the ceilings, the walls, the floors; everything about this house was just astounding.

As I had the chance to sit and chat with the man-in-charge, Rick Hearne, as well as Ric Allison and, of course, Jeff Lohr over lunch, I felt surrounded by sheer woodworking genius. As I ingested my chicken ceasar wrap, I listened to these inspirational men just chat over lunch. What was so humbling though, was that they are so kind, personable, and dare I say 'normal'. The idea that such beautiful art and master knowledge of the craft can come from the hands and minds of these gentlemen makes the intimidating woodworking world in front of me seem so comfortable and accessible. Needless to say, my motivation is on an exponential incline.

Then, it was onto the offices. Naturally, every desk in the place has a gorgeous live edge top and a flawless base to match. Every corner as something wooden to admire. Upstairs, we found a George Nakashima table surrounded by seven matching chairs. I had to be reminded that although this a piece of sought-after art, it is also a piece of furniture and furniture is meant to be sat on, eaten off of, and used in a functional way. Let me tell you, that chair is the most comfortable sitting apparatus I have had the pleasure of sitting in (and I have crashed a few quality beanbag chairs in my day). Full disclosure: Even with my huge stature and whopping 113 lbs, I still sat and stood very slowly and carefully as I was self-convinced I would ruin something.

It seemed as though everything I saw throughout my visit was more incredible than the last. It was truly an honor to meet the Rick, Brian, Ric, and all the Hearne Hardwoods staff. I am happy to have snagged this photo with Rick in the office beneath the head of a deer that his son took down with his bare hands in self defense. That statement alone should be some insight into the level of awesome my day reached on Monday. I had built up some high expectations from the flattering words of my co-workers but, my expectations of Hearne Hardwoods were met and exceeded.

I want to thank everyone that took part in my first trip and was so kind to me. My interest, passion, excitement, and inspiration for woodworking continues to grow daily because of people and places like this. I can only hope that in the near future I will get the chance to take a another trip out to this woodworking paradise tucked into the hills of some Pennsylvania Amish country.