I'm not sure why old barns are so appealing to people. I admit that I love se
eing a beautiful old barn…weathered and worn with time. You can oftentimes see remnants of red paint and it reminds us of the hours spent with a brush to give that once new barn its first (and usually only) coat of paint. When you look up close, you can see the grooves in the wood, created by wind and dust and rain over the course of 100 years. Every piece of wood ages differently…develops its own character.
As a boy I watched my grandfather in his little woodshop. He made picture frames and shelves from old barn wood. As a young man I found myself following in his steps. I would drive the countryside looking for an old barn and a willing farmer whose generosity enabled my next barn-wood project. I wished that I could do to a newer piece of wood, what took 100 years of nature to accomplish.
After many failed experiments over two decades, I had a “eureka moment” in my shop, and held for the first time, a piece of barn-wood made from new lumber, that made it past my self-imposed requirement of authenticity. I rushed into our house and laid it next to my grandpa's picture frame. Indistinguishable! I still have that piece.
I later built a small machine to prove out the concept. It worked! At this moment, we are building production equipment that will allow us to make weathered wood...hints of red...black stains from rusty old nails...gray sun bleached edges. The advantage is to using new wood is there are no rotten edges or lead-based paints. Plus we have dimensional stability because the wood is kiln dried…
Our pl
an is to build beautiful table tops with iron strapping, lamp bases...even barn-wood and iron beds. We can also provide bulk barn-wood lumber for rustic interiors with the ability to produce custom hues and colors. I am very excited about barn-wood! I only wish my grandfather could be here to enjoy it with me.
Corky Baker
President and Chief Innovator
eing a beautiful old barn…weathered and worn with time. You can oftentimes see remnants of red paint and it reminds us of the hours spent with a brush to give that once new barn its first (and usually only) coat of paint. When you look up close, you can see the grooves in the wood, created by wind and dust and rain over the course of 100 years. Every piece of wood ages differently…develops its own character.
As a boy I watched my grandfather in his little woodshop. He made picture frames and shelves from old barn wood. As a young man I found myself following in his steps. I would drive the countryside looking for an old barn and a willing farmer whose generosity enabled my next barn-wood project. I wished that I could do to a newer piece of wood, what took 100 years of nature to accomplish.
After many failed experiments over two decades, I had a “eureka moment” in my shop, and held for the first time, a piece of barn-wood made from new lumber, that made it past my self-imposed requirement of authenticity. I rushed into our house and laid it next to my grandpa's picture frame. Indistinguishable! I still have that piece.
I later built a small machine to prove out the concept. It worked! At this moment, we are building production equipment that will allow us to make weathered wood...hints of red...black stains from rusty old nails...gray sun bleached edges. The advantage is to using new wood is there are no rotten edges or lead-based paints. Plus we have dimensional stability because the wood is kiln dried…
Our pl
an is to build beautiful table tops with iron strapping, lamp bases...even barn-wood and iron beds. We can also provide bulk barn-wood lumber for rustic interiors with the ability to produce custom hues and colors. I am very excited about barn-wood! I only wish my grandfather could be here to enjoy it with me.Corky Baker
President and Chief Innovator
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