A Furniture Maker Creates a Unique Cypress Desk Using the LT15WIDE Sawmill

A Furniture Maker Creates a Unique Cypress Desk Using the LT15WIDE Sawmill

Kyle Snellenberger came up with the idea to turn a whole log into a stunning piece of furniture. He milled the log and crafted a one-of-a-kind reception desk, now proudly displayed in a hotel lobby in Louisiana, USA.


This sinker cypress desk is 4.57 meters long, 91 cm wide, and 107 cm tall. It was carefully crafted from a single log pulled from the Ouachita River and milled into 76-mm-thick slabs using a portable Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE sawmill.

 

 

For this unique project, Kyle chose sinker cypress. These trees are native to the southeastern United States, and sinker cypress logs are often found in rivers, where they’ve been submerged for years. Over time, the wood undergoes physical changes, darkens, and gains a remarkable beauty and extreme hardness, making it challenging to cut.

 

 

"The LT15WIDE handled it without much trouble. I was able to mill the log into boards with a maximum width of 91 cm," Kyle said. "Every cut on the mill had to be perfect—there was no room for mistakes."

 

 

Though the project took him about four months to complete, Kyle milled 100% of the lumber on his LT15WIDE sawmill, saving approximately $2,000 in the process.

 

 

Before owning a Wood-Mizer sawmill, Kyle used to buy lumber from other mills. These materials were more expensive and rarely matched his needs for furniture designs.

Kyle owns a furniture workshop, and with rising lumber prices, he decided to take matters into his own hands and start producing lumber himself. That’s what led him to purchase his portable Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE sawmill. "We run the mill every day because we always have plenty of projects to work on," Kyle shared.

 

 

The sinker cypress desk is a perfect example of Kyle’s ability to transform raw wood into something extraordinary. "Honestly, milling this log was a bit nerve-wracking, but the result turned out absolutely perfect," Kyle said. "From the day I milled the log to the project’s completion, including kiln drying time, it took about four months. I often get compliments on this desk since it’s in the hotel lobby, where so many people see it. It’s brought me countless new clients."

 

 

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