“Instant custom pricing is something that is unheard of in the custom wood turning industry because of the complexity of designs,” said Dick Johnson, President of Glacial Wood Products. He and his team have developed an online calculator to make custom estimating not only immediate, but easy.

“Our pricing structure is very simple. The same size piece in the same species is the same price, no matter what design you need,” explained Johnson. “That allows designers to be as creative as they want in customizing the look of a home”.

The straightforward pricing structure has made it simple for Glacial Wood to develop their Instant Custom Price Calculator. The formula takes into consideration the wood species, quantity, diameter, and length. The only real differences in pricing occur in optional multi-piece construction, turning options (fluted, reeded, roped), and notching options. Once selected, the system immediately calculates an estimate including shipping. “We value our customers’ time and this is a great way for them to price out options quickly and easily,” said Johnson.

To try Glacial Wood’s new instant custom price calculator, visit their website at www.glacialwood.com.

Brooten, MN (April 13, 2011) Master wood carver and wood turning manufacturer team up to create breathtaking pieces of architecture.

Konstantinos Papadakis, Minneapolis, MN, is an old world master wood carver. His woodcarvings have graced homes, offices, churches and public buildings throughout the world. Starting at the early age of 9, Papadakis has mastered several styles including Byzantine, Barocco (Baroque), Gothic and Greek folk styles and the traditional Cretan form of Kritieptamsiaco.

His latest project is to create an iconostasis (the wall of icons separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church), which will be featured in a church in Rochester, MN. When asked about what inspires these beautiful works of art, Papadakis replied, “I am guided by my faith for my carvings…it has never failed me.”

With a goal completion date set this summer, Papadakis reached out to Dick Johnson of Glacial Wood Products in Brooten, MN. The two have worked on several projects together in the past and Papadakis says it is unlikely that will ever change. He enjoys working with Dick and will continue to work with him as long as he is carving.

“[Glacial Wood Products] does what I ask them to do. You see I’m an old man with an old tradition. I like the old traditional way. I like things to be done the correct way. Glacial Wood Products communicates well with me and they do what I’m asking for. They do my job well,” said Papadakis.

“Working with Konstantinos is a privilege. It is rewarding to see the intricacy of his hand-carved pieces paired with the precision of our work. He is a very talented man and we enjoy working with him,” said Johnson.

Once the project is completed, photographs will be proudly displayed on both of their websites (www.konstantinospapadakis.com and www.glacialwood.com). For more information, please contact Dick Johnson.

Glacial Wood Products is an FSC certified wood turning manufacturer. Through the use of the latest software and machinery, they are able to accommodate custom orders, no matter the quantity or level of detail, to various industries and clients all over the world.

Columns as decor
Where and how are you using columns in your work? We like to see our pieces used in new ways, not just in the usual places. One of our clients is using some of Glacial’s columns as décor in shelving and fireplace mantles. Columns are also great to define living spaces in open floor plans. What species are you using for your columns? If you are going to paint them, consider using a less expensive species like poplar. We have a variety of species to choose from. Fluting reeding, roping and caps can complete your look. Play around with Glacial Wood’s column builder for some ideas. http://www.glacialwood.com/products/columns-and-capitals/column-builder

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Stop by our Online Store and browse our wide selection of custom products. We’ve always taken great pride in our hand-crafted wood designs and now we’ve been able to make them available to a wider audience. You can browse and purchase our full-range of products from anywhere, at any time of the day. The highest quality, custom wood turnings, provided to our customers with the ultimate convenience – it doesn’t get better than that. Check out the Store today!

January 18, 2011

Brooten, MN –  On November 13, 2010, Minnesota-based Glacial Wood Products, the largest custom wood turning facility in the country, was featured on HOMETIME, a home improvement television show broadcast on public television and in syndication across the United States.

Glacial Wood Products was featured in the 18th episode of a 22-part series that documented the HOMETIME crew constructing a Stone Cottage. The architects have designed the home with meticulous detail and are including only the finest products to create a well designed and state of the art home.

The HOMETIME crew visited Glacial Wood Products in Brooten, MN to see where the custom balusters, spindles, newels and posts for the staircase were milled for the stone cottage.

Through the use of the latest software and machinery, Glacial Wood Products is able to accommodate custom orders, no matter the quantity or level of detail, and deliver them quickly without sacrificing craftsmanship.

Glacial Wood Products manufactures wood turnings for all types of industries. Glacial Wood Products is FSC certified and creates sustainable wood components for clients all over the world.

To learn more about custom wood turned parts, visit the Glacial Wood Products website at www.glacialwood.com. To find out more about their involvement in the HOMETIME Stone Cottage project contact Dick Johnson.

Contact:
Dick Johnson
dick@glacialwood.net
410 Railway Avenue
Brooten, MN 56316
320.346.9663

At Glacial Wood, we are always looking at the market to identify new trends. Here are a few I’ve noticed recently:

Trendspotting:
Wood never goes out of style, but the ways in which designers use it is always changing. Instead of following the latest trends, keep ahead of them and drive sales by offering your customers the latest in wood grains, stains and fixture styles.

Nothing but gray skies?: Furniture and design styles often find their spark in Europe. From Germany this year we see the emergence of gray woodgrains, both in light and dark tones. They not only were shown in panel samples, but also used by several exhibitors at recent trade shows. Gray works well with the modern design palette, working well with white and black elements, as well as bold colors – in place of lighter woods like pine and ash long favored by Scandanavian design. Grey tones highlight the grain of the wood, so turned pieces can be quite beautiful.

Everything Old is New Again: Rustic-looking woods are popular ¬– and not just for the cabin anymore. Woods featuring knots and worm holes create a warm, comforting ambiance, softening the hard lines and flat planes of super modern settings. Some of the species that offer wonderful burled patterns are Redwood, Maple, Myrtle, Madrone, Manzanita and Yew. The wood turning process enhances the already striking wood grains and knots of these species.

Extreme Finish: Look to the ends of the spectrum for finish styles. High-gloss finishes on boldly turned table and chair legs take a traditional look and give it a unique modern appeal. See the high gloss finish on this table from Eleanor Trend for a fine example.

Walk the Line: Designers continue to use woods with prominent straight grain lines, running either vertically or horizontally or even diagonally. Some lesser used woods with fine, straight grains are alder, cherry, walnut, and Douglas fir. The grain of the wood can be used to accentuate lines in a room, especially as part of a column or balustrade.

Dick
www.glacialwood.com

We’re about to launch a new Online Store and I’m pretty excited about it. It should make ordering and receiving some of our more common pieces- FAST! Glacial Wood Products specializes in custom wood turnings, but some of our clients have repeatedly ordered similar sized components for their furniture, cabinet and building projects. To answer that need, I’ve worked to create an online store that features table legs, posts, appliqués, bun feet, corner guards and half round moulding. Later this year, we’ll have some fun and add novelty items like wood plates, mini baseball bats and magic “Potter” wands. I’ll also use the online store to move some excess lumber and equipment.

This is a big step for me and my team. At Glacial Wood we pride ourselves in creating exactly what our clients want… and we’re able to make those components in over 30 wood species. We are not going to stop doing that- Custom work is our bread and butter and it’s what I love to do. The online store is being built to offer convenience. Online shoppers will be able to choose from four wood species in a handful of sizes. The components in the online store will be shipped within 5 business days of making the order. Our online shoppers will also be able to use PayPal for billing. Look for the Glacial Wood Products online store to open in March. You’ll be able to get to it by going to our website, glacialwood.com.

It’s been pretty snowy in the Glacial Ridge region of Central Minnesota this week. I had a hard time getting into the shop the other day because of the weather. To make matters worse, my office manager, Jeni, took off for a warmer climate and didn’t bring back much sunshine as a souvenir for me. I’ve been thinking of sunnier days and fun… like boating on Minnesota’s beautiful lakes. Here’s a nice shot of from one of our clients, Burger Boats. We did some work for their beautiful boats. Hope it brings you warm, sunny thoughts during this snowy time of year-

Dick
www.glacialwood.com

A trend in woodworking and construction is to use reclaimed wood. It’s not new, people have been using old wood to build new structures since the beginning of time. Reclaimed wood is particularly popular today because it adds an aged, weathered look to new construction and it’s also ecologically friendly. Builders like it because using recycled wood can save some money.

Popular ways to use reclaimed wood is for mantles, flooring and trim. There are a lot of other ways you can use reclaimed wood. I’ve been working with a company out of Minneapolis, Red Barn Reclaimed Timber Furniture. We’re taking timbers from barns, warehouses and other sources and making beautiful tables for Red Barn. Our team is turning the table tops, bases and legs. Glacial Wood is also assembling the tables for Red Barn. We coordinate the finishing with another Minnesota company. I hope you like their furniture. It’s truly an innovative way to use reclaimed wood.
Check out their website at www.redbarnreclaimed.com.

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The furniture industry overall is slowly moving forward during these tough economic times. I’ve been happy to see that a handful of American factories are reopening. I am encouraged to see that American companies are once again trusting domestic workers to make quality furniture at reasonable prices. Let’s hope the rest of the wood industry.. and the American economy follow suit.
Keep turning-
Dick

BROOTEN, MN-As the Wood Industry attempts to emerge from one of the worst recessions in decades, Glacial Wood Products is finding ways for clients to save money in 2010. One key way for wood professionals to save is to focus on restoration and renovation projects. Many consumers and contractors alike are exploring renewing existing cabinetry, stairways and furniture.  Whether it’s replacing damaged wood pieces or creating new elements, Glacial Wood Products supports those efforts with the ability to replicate any existing wood turning.

“Our clients trust Glacial Wood Products to support their renovation and restoration projects. The Glacial Wood Products team can copy any wood turning- All we really need is a picture and the specifications and we can do it,” says Dick Johnson, President and Founder of Glacial Wood Products.

Glacial Wood Products also supports efforts to refresh existing spaces in homes and businesses. It isn’t always necessary to pull out an entire staircase of balusters or a wall of kitchen cabinetry. Glacial Wood Products can work with companies to find new ways to incorporate newel posts, appliqués and finials to create a new look in an older design. 

“It’s not only cost effective to update a cabinet or staircase that’s already in place, it can also be good for the environment. We support “green” efforts and can help our clients use existing design elements to shape a project,” Johnson says. “We’re able to save wood but focusing on what’s already in place, before adding something new.”

Glacial Wood Products is FSC certified. Glacial is also a member of True North Woods, an organization that works to promote Minnesota produced forest-based products.
The Glacial Wood Products drafting and design team uses 20-20 CAD design software to help cabinet makers and other wood professionals place wood turnings into their plans. Glacial’s skilled team is trained to find the best use for wood turnings and assist cabinet designers and architects with their plans.

About Glacial Wood Products
Glacial Wood Products is the largest custom wood turning facility in the country. Custom balusters, newel posts, table legs, knobs, pulls, handles, bun feet, and decorative columns are all made in Glacial’s Brooten, Minnesota facility. GWP manufactures the highest quality wood turnings for all types of industries using the latest technology, insuring lasting, durable and beautifully crafted parts. Glacial Wood Products is FSC certified and creates sustainable wood components for clients all over the world.

Inspiration can come from anywhere
Inspiration for a wood turning can come from almost anywhere, even an old trash heap. While digging around on my farm near Brooten, I uncovered dozens of old bottles. As I wiped the dirt away, I could see the old imprints of medicine and tonics that past residents on my land used. The bottles were round and delicate, yet sturdy enough to survive decades buried in the ground.

I brought the bottles into Glacial. We set up the lathes and created some wooden replicas of the bottles. I even sold some to craftspeople. They became pretty pieces of painted folk art. Now the market for wooden bottles has slowed, but I’ve heard there is a small comeback. Somebody saw some decorative ones on the Today Show.
My own wood bottles now sit with some of the original glass bottles next to our wooden plates, magic wands, mini baseball bats and other novelty items. We use them to show clients that we can create or re-create just about anything they have in mind. I like to have the bottles around as a reminder, inspiration can come from anywhere.
Mistakes aren’t always bad
We have a new style of post we’re showing off in the Glacial Wood Products sample room. Our office manager, Jeni, calls it the “Waffle,” I think it sort of looks like a “Pineapple.” While turning a 3 inch by 34.5 maple post, we crisscrossed some of the lines. Instead of the reeding we were looking for, it came out in a woven pattern. We’re still looking at it, studying how it was done. It looks like a something colonial, with a tropical influence.
Featured Product: Reclaimed Wood Tables
Glacial Wood Products has FSC certification. While we do use domestic, sustainable wood in our facility, there are other steps we take to be conscious about the lumber we use and its impact on our planet. We are working with a client called Red Barn Reclaimed out of Edina, Minnesota. Our team built amazing dining, bedside and side tables for Red Barn using reclaimed wood. It’s beautiful. Check out their website at www.redbarnreclaimed.com.
-Dick