BELLVILLE, Ohio–When you walk into the Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast on Main St. in Bellville, it’s hard to miss the beautiful woodwork including floors, ceilings and staircases.
All the woodwork was done by master craftsman Tim Whatman, owner of Whatman Hardwoods, Inc. in Bellville.
When the Wishmaker House was being restored by owners, Karen and Brad Smith, some of the wooden staircases and railings were in need of replacement pieces, including balusters.
Whatman crafted replacement balusters and other pieces for the stairways.
It’s nearly impossible to detect which pieces are original and which were created by Whatman, who did all the woodwork in the old house and former furniture store.
“I reclaimed as much woodwork as possible. All the woodwork in the Wishmaker House, including the cherry ceilings, was made with wood from trees on their family farm. We worked from November until June or July on the Wishmaker House,” Whatman said.
Whatman’s woodworking includes one half mile of crown molding in the house. He also created the wine bar in Wishmaker House.
“We loved working with him. He’s a good guy,” said Karen Smith.
Whatman got his start in woodworking when he was building his own home.
“Martin Helmick sawed logs on a portable sawmill when we were building our home. I got interested and it’s grown from there,” Whatman said.
“We even have things Tim made in junior high school,” Whatman’s wife Janet said.
The family owned business was started in 1991. In 1992, Whatman began sawing logs on a portable Woodmizer bandsaw mill. A small shop was built with a few woodworking machines to plane and surface lumber. Then a small kiln was added to dry the sawn lumber.
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, producing temperatures sufficient to complete the process of hardening, drying, or chemical changes.
“Kiln drying takes a lot of work and a lot of time,” Whatman said.
A lightning strike caused a fire in 2005 that completely destroyed the business but with help from family and friends, and encouragement from customers, the shop was back up and running in six months.
A neighbor offered the Whatman’s the use of a vacant building on his property, near the original site of Whatman Hardwoods, and they were back in business.
In 2007, Whatman Hardwoods, Inc. acquired a source for antique lumber from Randy Smith, Ohio Valley Barn Salvage.
Whatman offers many choices of antique lumber for flooring, using reclaimed wood, following the principal of “green building,” a concern for energy consumption and the environment. It’s a philosophy that is a growing trend in the building industry.
Whatman’s antique lumber is obtained from old barns and structures that have been torn down. New trees are not cut down to obtain the lumber.
From new construction to older home remodeling, the Whatman’s manufacture doors, flooring, trim, paneling and kitchen cabinets. And Whatman builds custom cabinets for five regional Lowe’s stores.
Currently, he is working on the woodwork for a home in Utah.
“For approximately the last year and a half, I’ve been working on the woodwork for a large home in Utah being built for Bill Engvall, a popular stand-up comedian. I’ll be going out to see the house in a few weeks,” Whatman said.
Whatman Hardwoods, Inc. offers custom millwork, kiln drying, hardwood flooring, plus antique lumber products including kitchen cupboards, hand hewn doors, wood burned art, ceilings, flooring, reclaimed sliding barn doors, slab tables and washstands.
“We welcome customers who bring ideas and photos. We ship coast-to-coast, anywhere in the United States,” Whatman said.
They have a website at www.whatmanhardwoods.com; his products can also be seen at www.etsy.com/shop/whatmanbarnfurniture.
