From the September 6, 2001 edition of Seattle Daily Journal of CommerceOld beams become new furnitureCalifornia company turns old warehouse timbers into tables, entertainment centers and desks.
Welcome back! That's what Western furniture buyers may soon be saying to millions of board feet of Douglas fir exported from California to South Africa over 120 years ago. The wood, used to build warehouses, is currently being manufactured into a variety of Shaker and craftsman-styled tables, entertainment centers and credenzas by the Wooden Duck, a Berkeley, Calif., furniture manufacturing and importing company. Eric Gellerman, co-owner of the Wooden Duck with Amy Ferber, says that the Douglas fir actually found him. "Our company is pretty much known for doing furniture from old wood. He (the broker) found us on our Web site. At first he was calling the wood 'Oregon.' They sent us a sample, and we said, 'Oh, this is Douglas fir.' " At a normal production pace, Gellerman says, the wood from the South African warehouses could provide "years of work." But because Wooden Duck's Berkeley operation was already working at capacity, a decision was made to manufacture the furniture in South Africa. Founded as an import company in 1995, Wooden Duck began manufacturing furniture from recycled wood in 1998. The firm already has international manufacturing experience, including making furniture from recycled teak on the Indonesian island of Java, as well as operations in Eastern Europe. In Berkeley, the company has a two-acre site with a 15,000-square-foot retail store and a finishing factory. "We're completely vertically integrated," says Gellerman. The Wooden Duck plans to finish the South African-made furniture in Berkeley. "We sent AutoCAD drawings over, and we'll go over and check. Sometimes they oversand it, overplane it, and take the character out of the wood. We just have to make sure that the texture and patina are correct," Gellerman says. He also says that another difficulty was that the manufacturers in South Africa were doing more complex furniture. "All the contractors there were doing more complex stuff. Our styles are very simple ... mortise and tenons." From the outset, The Wooden Duck committed itself to using recycled wood for its furniture because it saves trees and is of higher quality and stability. Gellerman says that the Douglas fir from South Africa has less than 8 percent moisture content, making it unlikely to shrink, warp or crack. The Wooden Duck generally uses all the salvaged wood it acquires. Says Gellerman, "The highest people on the food chain are people like Bill Gates. He made his house out of recycled fir. The big beams cost big money. We do a lot of beams, but not the huge beams." The beams Wooden Duck uses are generally 8-by-8 and 2-by-8. Supply of the wood looks good, as well. "We're able to get it from deconstruction. We're associated with the salvage guys," Gellerman says. The Wooden Duck expects to be importing the furniture from South Africa by spring. Though the firm doesn't distribute in the Northwest, Gellerman says that he does have customers from our region. "We do get a lot of customers from up in Washington. We want them to come down here and touch the furniture and see it. I'm sort of a firm believer in touching it and feeling it." David Jackson can be reached at (206) 622-8272 or by e-mail at djackson@djc.com. | |
