Jay Norris, founder of KC Custom Hardwoods gives a look into his daily life of woodworking, designing, and growing a successful business doing what he loves.
The story starts back in 2008 when Jay’s father’s farm had trees cut down on the property. Jay was surprised to see how much wood there was, and instead of getting rid of it, he saved it. He bought a saw and began cutting it up and selling it for various uses. It was not until 2015 that he began making furniture. “It started small with friends and family, then I acquired more tools, and as more orders came in, I decided it was time to talk my friend Nick Bianco into starting a business,” Jay said. And they did just that. Stepping away from his corporate job, Jay set out to begin KC Custom Hardwoods with the mission of building high quality products using salvaged logs.
At KC Custom Hardwoods you can find dining room tables, conference tables, (which are the company’s current top sellers, so be sure to check them out!), custom furniture, art pieces, and more. Jay is a self-taught designer and has made some incredible and unique pieces. He is inspired by the art, design and craftmanship daily. “If it is a new design, it starts with me, and my favorite thing about the job is trying new things never seen before” Jay said.
There is a lot to be learned about the woodworking process. In fact, did you know it takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to dry the wood before it is able to be made into something? According to Jay, “too much moisture in the wood, and the end product will fail.” The team at KC Custom Hardwood has an involved process of salvaging, drying, cutting, and categorizing the wood until it is ready for use. “Sometimes clients have a particular wood in mind for a project and our inventory system helps us be able to see what we have in stock and quickly get to it,” Jay said.
The team at KC Custom Hardwoods salvages wood for their work. The company reuses logs in the furniture instead of it ending up in the dump. “The one thing I wish people knew about the business is that we salvage the logs after storms, from construction sites, or tree removal services. So, instead of the wood being thrown away, these pieces are salvaged, and then created into something for customers seeking one-of-a kind items,” Jay said.
Some of the wood even has interesting back stories with ties to the community. Recently, the team at KC Custom Hardwoods was asked to salvage a 15,000-pound oak tree in the Waldo area that had to be removed due to obstructions to the road and sidewalk. This tree was unique in that it had a 7-foot diameter growth coming out of it, making it a memorable landmark for those in the area. Jay and the team got to work and enlisted help from two cranes to help lift the large tree. Those who were familiar with this tree already bought slabs of the wood to have a piece of it, and the homeowners whose property it was on will also receive some as well, making a memory out of the tree.
The other unique use for a recently salvaged tree is from a large maple tree on the property of Queen of the Holy Rosary in Prairie Village. The tree needed to be removed, but the wood will be used for items in the church, including a conference table and a decorative timeline log that hangs on the wall and shows the growth rings of this 100+ year old tree.
As you can see, there is history and passion involved in every step of KC Custom Hardwood’s process and end products. Recently, the team opened a showroom in Stillwell, KS that puts several exceptional items on display for customers to browse and purchase. If you are in the market for hand-crafted and stunning items for your home or office, be sure to check out KC Custom Hardwoods at www.kccustomhardwoods.com and follow along behind the scenes on Facebook or Instagram https://www.facebook.com/KCCustomHardwoods https://www.instagram.com/KCCustomHardwoods.