A! Magazine for the Arts

Justin VanHoy with his big leaf maple three section 33' dining bar

Justin VanHoy with his big leaf maple three section 33' dining bar

Justin VanHoy's woodworking impresses

June 28, 2022

The textures, colors and patterns of wood seduced Justin VanHoy and provided him with an outlet for his creativity – furniture making, primarily tables. He also creates desks, shelves, bar tops and smaller items.

“I was just ‘crafty’ growing up, and I always had a thing for building whatever I could. I started seeing videos of tables online, and I’m basically self-taught. It started as a hobby — as something I wanted to do for myself. It exploded, and people liked my artistic vision.

“Covid is the time frame when it blew up for me. A ton of people saw my work, and I’ve just been blessed. I think everyone was home, and they started doing more home renovations, and they found me,” VanHoy says.

Before he could build anything, he needed to find sources for the older, reclaimed wood he prefers to use. He spent at least a year on research and developing contacts throughout the country before he made his first professional table.

“It (the source of his wood) is one of those things you prize and keep a secret to some extent. I work with an organization that pushes to salvage wood instead of burning it or getting rid of it and not cutting down old-growth trees. A lot of it is salvaged from forest fires. The majority of it comes from California and Oregon,” he says.

VanHoy says he prizes the salvaged wood because of its size and appearance. “The older the tree, the bigger. It’s also more figured. That’s what happens to a tree after it’s been through different seasons. Only time can make something so unique. I have a lot of curly walnut and burled redwood,” he says. Figure in wood refers to the patterns and markings that can be found in wood grain. It can be caused by many things, including disruptions in the normal grain, color and form of the wood from injury, molds, insects and fungi.

When a customer orders one of his creations, they work together. “I find out their vision and the color and type of wood they like. Then I source different options for them, and we talk about price and style and see what is the best value for them. Some people want a $6,000 table and some fall in love with a particular wood and spend $15,000 on a table. Some have a very specific image in mind. Often, they request that I put my touch to it. They’ll say, ‘I love your work, go for it.’

“My favorite two parts of the process are the vision —how it will look and fit together. If I’m using epoxy, it’s very creative and fun. The second is the finishing process. That’s when you get to see it come together and the color really pop,” he says.

VanHoy crafts residential and commercial projects. He just finished a hotel’s VIP dining section which included a 33-foot bar top. Another project is Juan Siao, a restaurant in Johnson City, Tennessee. It’s one of his favorites. “I like the idea of people who like my work getting to go out and sit at my tables and eat and enjoy them.” It usually takes three to five weeks to craft a table.

Many of his table bases are crafted from metal. He designs the base and has someone else make them. “I try to keep things local if I can.” VanHoy says.

For more information or to contact VanHoy, visit www.blackcopper.us.

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