Differences in Our Log Furniture Collections

A question we are asked quite often is what are the differences in our log furniture collections and why do some take longer to receive than others.  Today I am going to explain the differences in the logs that are used in these rustic collections.  This will give you an idea as to why some collections take longer than others. On our site we feature various log furniture collections and styles.  These styles range from simple log styles to intricate gnarly log styles. The simple log furniture styles (like our Hidden Lake, Ozark and Rustic Natural Cedar collections) use logs that have been machine doweled.  This process involves placing a log into a machine which sands it down until it is smooth and uniform in size.  From here the furniture making process can be automated fairly quickly since all the parts will be the same size. We then move a step up to our Rustic Lakeland and North Woods collections. In the Rustic Lakeland collection logs are German peeled.  The German peeling process is the process of rotating the logs against a wheel of spinning blades.  The blades will peel off the bark and it leaves the logs relatively smooth – yet the knife marks in the logs are visible and the log retains it’s natural shape.  In the North Woods line the logs are hand draw knifed.  The draw knife process is done by hand using a drawknife tool.  The craftsmen will draw a the knife down the log removing the bark.  This process leaves a very clean looking log with a unique knife pattern.  Once the logs are peeled the log furniture is then able to manufactured pretty easily and quickly. Moving another step forward we come to the Montana and Wilderness collections.  These rustic furniturecollections are skip peeled.  Skip-peeling does not remove all of the inner bark.  A skip-peeled log will show patches of the interior bark producing a more rustic look.  Skip peeling can be viewed as an art.  It sounds simple just removing some bark, but the skip peeler or ‘log artist’ must visualize each log to envision where the patches will accentuate the furniture the most.  Once the skip peeling is complete the construction of the furniture can again move fairly quickly. Stepping further into the rustic realm we come to our Cedar Lake, Aspen, Red Cedar, Cottage, Cabin Creek, Nature’s Twist and Heritage collections.   These lines will take longer due to all the extra labor and time that goes into the manufacturing process.  The logs that are used in these collections are hand peeled aged dead standing trees and/or logs that have aged in barns for multiple years.  The hand peeling process is done by physically taking the outer bark in hand and pulling/peeling it off of the log.  This labor intensive process leaves the logs completely natural looking with their unique shapes – gnarls from tree limbs, burls and beetle tracks all remain visible.  The logs will be very rustic looking with patches of cambium (the inner bark) left from the peeling process, the beetle trails and occasional surface rot from the aging. From here the rustic furniture is made piece by piece.  Since all the logs are all vastly different this process cannot be automated.   In this process the ‘artists’ are the specialized builders who sort through the logs while envisioning the final piece, creating it in their mind, then finding the complementing pieces that will make your finished rustic furniture truly one of a kind.  Bends, beetle tracks, twigs, splits, forks, arches, burls and knots – all of these natural markings on the logs – come into consideration in the placement and construction on your piece of log furniture.