Dutchman's Woodshop

The Dutchman’s Woodshop Story
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I resigned my last full-time pastoral position in the spring of 2009 in favor of helping churches through times of transition as an interim pastor. I have served in that capacity for eight years now, working with six churches, and living on site in most of those instances. Every so often Luana and I have come to our residence in Harvard, Nebraska to take care of business pertaining to our house. And, there have been a few months between appointments in which we’ve been able to enjoy our home. In the summer of 2012 I assisted our son Nate in building my workshop. That fall I moved what tools I had into the shop where they waited for me to employ them. It was at some point that fall that my wife and daughter were poking around in an antique mall where they saw some items created from what appeared to be weathered barn wood. One of those items was a hutch that, they informed me, I could build. Seemed that Luana wanted something in which to display her china. Well, the first problem was that I had no weathered wood. My wife was a step ahead of me, having scouted around our small town for abandoned buildings that might be dismantled. The photo above depicts the barn we were able to procure simply for the joy of tearing it down. It would prove to be the first of three such projects, each one larger and more complicated than its predecessor. Out of the wood obtained from that old red building I built several items, including three pieces of furniture for our own home. Our business evolved from these beginnings. Luana plots and plans, finding ideas and creating others of things she is confident I can build. During the times we are home, I dutifully bring her ideas to life and she does the finish work. All of our stuff is created with reclaimed wood rescued from barns that would otherwise be burned, or from fences that might wind up in landfills. We also utilize castoff windows (Nate provides these from his business of installing new windows and doors). A provenance card with the photo and history of the barn from which the material came is included with each item. Take some time and look back through our photos to see what sorts of products we offer, and the sources of the wood we use. If something catches your fancy, please leave me a message requesting pricing and delivery options. And, thanks for visiting our page. OUR DUTCHMAN'S WOODSHOP STORE IN HARVARD IS OPEN EVERY 2ND SATURDAY FROM 10 AM TO 3 PM, OR BY APPOINTMENT - CALL 402-499-9224.