Small businesses are important to communities and running a small business is tough work. That’s why we feature a small business in one of our communities every month!
Big Woods Woodworking is located on State Route 56, just outside Laurelville.
Spend some time talking to Marcus Mast about his business Big Woods Woodworking and one word consistently comes to mind.
That word is “quality.”
It clearly is important to Marcus that he provide a quality product and quality service to his customer as well as a good quality of life for his family. He is very quiet in the way he describes his products but the wood furniture and other items created at Big Woods Woodworking speak volumes.
This is the place to go when you are in search of just the right piece of wood furniture for the home or outdoors. That’s because each piece is handmade with care and to suit the needs of the buyer. It is so well made that it is easy to imagine that much of his work will be passed down through generations and will someday be considered heirlooms.
The showroom is packed with samples of the furniture he makes along with some smaller pieces that are available for sale. But the real draw is the fact he makes each order by hand, specifically to suit the needs of his customer.
The showroom at Big Woods Woodworking is packed with samples of handmade items that can be adapted for the customers’ needs.
Log beds and log furniture to complete a bedroom suit are among his most sought after pieces. Dining room tables and chairs, desks, coffee tables, side tables, armoires, bar tops, chess tables and lamps are also popular. Slab tables and bar tops have live edges, lending a sense of rustic charm and natural beauty that would be appropriate in many settings.
Log beds and the dressers and nightstands that match are among their most popular items.
For the outdoors, Big Woods makes custom porch swings, arbors, tables and chairs.
His wife Rochelle does wood burning on some pieces and their children sometimes pitch in to make small items that are sold in the shop.
The lumber he uses most comes from all over the region and the country. Aspen, with its worm holes and beautiful color, is often used in slab tables. He also uses red cedar from Missouri, pine from Ohio and Michigan, hickory, and walnut from around Ohio.
This chess/checkers table has two drawers to contain the pieces when not in use.
“I like to say that God makes the trees and He makes the beauty. We just go find it, we find the beauty,” Marcus explained.
In addition to the pieces he regularly makes, Marcus said that customers often come with ideas of their own. He can design furniture to suit their needs. An example is a cupboard he designed that features a cutting board top and adjustable book stand for cookbooks. He is currently working on an enormous bar top designed to suit a specific space in a customer’s home. Another project is an armoire he is building with walnut that the customer brought to him. “Some people just can’t visualize what they want but they can describe their needs. Their eyes light up when they see the finished product and they say it’s just what they wanted. That’s good to see,” he said.
Marcus said he learned his trade through years of experience. “All my life I’ve done little projects, things for the home, things for us,” he said. He went on to explain that he worked in someone else’s shop prior to opening his own. “There’s been some trial and error and some trial and success. It’s the kind of thing you learn as you go.”
This child sized table and chairs would be perfect for any youngster’s playroom!
It is clear that while he is intent on creating a quality product for his customers, he also focuses much on providing a good life for his family. “It has always been my dream to work at home where the children can come down and be with me. My wife enjoys dropping in too. This business is a way to do that and to provide for my family,” he said.
This table was made using logs from the property.
It’s also a way to teach his children valuable skills. “Just the ability to use your hands, that’s what I enjoy and that’s what I want for my children. I want them to have a broader experience than I can provide for them through my shop here and so by teaching them to use their hands, to think things through, to plan and to connect everything together, to have a finished product . . . those are skills they can use their entire lives,” he said.
Wait times for custom orders vary depending on current workload. At this time the wait is approximately four weeks but can be longer. He said they work hard to accommodate the scheduling needs of the customer. A discount is available for the purchase of a four piece log bedroom suit.
Call Big Woods Woodworking at 740.607.8184. The showroom/shop is open Monday through Saturday and is located at 1577 St. Rt. 56 East, just outside of Laurelville. They accept cash, check or credit card.
See below for additional pictures from Big Woods Woodworking.
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