Woodshop and showroom · Prineville, Oregon
Cutting boards and furniture made from Central Oregon juniper
We're Dale Brekke and his daughter Nora. We buy juniper logs from ranches along the Crooked River, saw and dry them ourselves, and build boards, bowls, stools and tables in the old feed store on the west side of town.
The showroom is open Thursday through Sunday. Most of what you see on this page is on the shelves.
The shop
Why we use juniper
Western juniper has spread across Central Oregon over the last hundred years, and a hillside full of it leaves less water for the grass and the springs. Ranchers clear thousands of acres of it every year. For a long time most of that wood was piled up and burned.
Dale started pulling logs out of a neighbor's burn pile in 1998 and built his first table in the corner of a hay barn. Nora grew up sanding drawer fronts after school. In 2016 she moved back from Portland, the two of them took over the old feed store in town, and they put a sawmill out back.
Juniper is heavy and hard on blades. It smells like pencil shavings when you cut it and almost never rots. The heartwood goes from pale tan to a purple-red, and every piece has knots and small cracks. We fill some cracks with clear epoxy and leave others open. Ask us and we'll show you which is which.
From the ranch to the shelf
- RanchLogs come from four ranches within 40 miles of Prineville. We pay by the truckload and haul them ourselves.
- SawmillIn spring we saw the logs into slabs and boards on the band mill behind the shop.
- DryingThe wood sits stacked under the lean-to for a year to a year and a half, then spends two weeks in a small kiln.
- ShopA cutting board takes about a week from rough lumber to the shelf, mostly because the glue and the oil need time to set.
What we make
Prices
These are the prices you'll usually see on the tags. No two boards come out the same, so sizes vary by an inch or so.
End-grain cutting board
About 12 by 16 inches and 1¾ inches thick. Heavy enough that it stays put on the counter.
$95Serving boards
Long-grain, with or without a handle. Most have a strip of live edge along one side.
$38 – $70Turned bowls
8 to 12 inches across, finished with walnut oil. Nora turns them in winter, when it's too cold to work in the yard. Hand wash only.
$60 – $180Milking stool
Three legs, 14 inches high. It sits steady on an uneven floor or a sloping porch.
$140Live-edge bench
Five feet long, seats three. Juniper legs or black steel ones, your pick.
$680 – $760Board butter and shavings
Beeswax and mineral oil in a 4 oz tin, $12. A one-pound bag of juniper shavings for drawers and closets, $8.
$8 – $12Dining tables, coffee tables, desks and mantels
Bring measurements and a sketch or a photo. We'll walk the yard with you and pick the slab together. Right now we're about ten weeks out. We ask for half when you order and the rest at pickup.
There's an offcut bin by the front door, $5 a piece. People make coasters and knife handles out of them.
If you buy a board or a bowl and don't want to carry it home, we'll ship it anywhere in the lower 48 for $15. Furniture is pickup only, or we deliver within 60 miles for $1.50 a mile. We take cards and cash.
Classes
Saturday classes in the shop
Small groups at the big bench in the back. Write your name on the clipboard by the register and pay on the day of the class. If you can't make it, tell us in the shop and we'll move you to the next month.
Spoon carving
Second Saturday · 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We hand out green juniper and lend you a hook knife and a sloyd knife. Most people finish one spoon, some get through two. Ages 14 and up.
$65 · 6 seats · coffee included
A cutting board in two Saturdays
Third and fourth Saturday · 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On the first day you pick your boards, cut them and glue them up. On the second day the board gets flattened and sanded, and you oil it before you take it home.
$180 with the wood · 4 seats
Hours
When the showroom is open
Monday through Wednesday we're working in the back. If the big door is rolled up, come on in.
In July and August we open at 8 on Saturdays, before it gets hot.
We close Thanksgiving weekend and from December 24 through January 1.
Questions about a piece or a table are easiest to answer in person, so come by during open hours. Dale or Nora is usually at the counter.
- Thursday
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Friday
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday
- 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Sunday
- 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Mon – Wed
- Showroom closed
Directions
Getting here
From Redmond or Bend
From Redmond, take Highway 126 east for about 20 miles. From Bend, plan on 40 minutes.
From Portland
A little over three hours on Highway 26, over Mount Hood and through Madras. Fill up in Madras if you're low.
In town
You'll come in on Third Street. We're on the west side of town, one block north. Look for a long metal building with a green sliding door and a stack of logs out front.
Park on the gravel by the loading dock. There's room for a trailer if you're picking up a table.