Hidden Gems: Meet Lance Brace of Wooden Philosopher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Brace.

Hi Lance, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In 2013 I bought my first house. It was a small, old starter home that needed a lot of work. I got a good deal on it, so it was perfect. Previously I had only lived in small apartments with breakfast bars instead of a dining table. I needed a new table. After moving in, I discovered that the small, old house had an unusually sized dining area. My off-the-shelf dining table options were either too small or too big. I didn’t know what to do. After some thought and research on YouTube, I built a table and benches. How hard could it be? Several weeks later, I had a table and two benches constructed from dimensional lumber from Home Depot. I made that. It was terrible, but I made it, so I was proud. That table and benches lasted several years while I started building more small projects for that old, small house. In 2020 Jill, my wife, and I bought a new house. This house was older than my first house, but it was bigger! We decided never to buy furniture again. We would make all of our furniture from then on. We made a coffee/wine bar, coffee table, end tables, floating shelves, and other items for our own house.

We decided to make cutting boards for Christmas as gifts for our friends and family. We made over 50 hardwood cutting boards over a few weeks and posted the process on Facebook along the way (we aren’t very sneaky). Several friends and family members from those posts started asking if they could buy the cutting boards. It was difficult to slow the sales process so that we could give them as gifts, but that experience showed us that there is a demand for what we are making. Eventually, several neighbors noticed the woodshop that occupied our garage instead of cars and asked if we could make pieces for them. In 2021 Jill and I decided that I would leave my full-time job, where I wore a tie, and pursue Wooden Philosopher full time. Since then, I have been making custom furniture, cutting boards, small gift items, and anything else made of wood instead of punching a clock. That was the third-best decision I have made in my entire life (I have a wife and kids, so I can’t go above third here).

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Probably more than you would think, starting a woodshop is expensive. However, I already had most of the equipment and tools I needed. In the last few weeks, before going full-time, I found a beautiful 3HP table saw on the Facebook marketplace for about 1/4 of the retail cost. My tools are worth more than my car, but I have accumulated them over the years. Sales have been the most challenging piece of the puzzle. I’m a woodworker, not a marketer, Spock! However, we have hit our initial sales goal for the year through word of mouth and social media. I am currently booked out on custom work for at least three months, and the craft fair season has just started.

I have had a major struggle balancing work and life in my new role. In my old job, where I wore a tie, I had a schedule and a routine. I arrived when I needed to be there and left when I needed to be home. Now, I work from home with no schedule. It is total anarchy in my calendar! I struggle to work a decent number of hours (80 hours is normal, right?), and I often work well into the ‘quiet hours of the night. I’m sure my neighbors don’t mind my 2HP dust collector and 3HP table saw running at 11 PM on Tuesdays!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Wooden Philosopher?
I am passionate about working with the big three American hardwoods: Maple, Walnut, and Cherry. Cherry, in particular, is my favorite wood to work with, and I believe it is the most beautiful wood there is. Walnut dominates the current style but believe me when I tell you that soon it will be replaced with Cherry. Cherry is the perfect wood. On smaller projects, we also use a lot of Purpleheart. It’s purple wood. Purple! A little purpleheart accent can go a long way to make a cutting board more visually striking and pretty.

For furniture, I primarily build in the Amish style (shaker style) and mid-century modern style. These styles are about as different as the two can be; however, they are fun to build within my capabilities and passion. Within woodworking, there is a great collaboration amongst small handmade makers like myself. We help each other in many ways and have different styles. If I request a piece that I cannot make or is not in the style I make, then I have people I can refer the customer to. There is no competition in a collaborative environment. I love this aspect of my industry.

Now, let’s address the big furniture companies that suck. Everything about them sucks. Almost all furniture you buy from a big store is veneered particle board (disposable crap). It doesn’t matter if the company also sells clothing and food, or if the company is an All-American girl’s name, you are probably buying particle board. Competing with garbage distributors with multi-billion dollar ad campaigns can be difficult, but to the discerning customer, there is no competition. Wooden Philosopher only makes heirloom quality hardwood furniture that will outlive my giant tortoise, so we don’t have to worry about the particle board distributors (even the Scandinavian ones!).

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I mentioned that I am not a marketer. I am not a marketer. Repeat the line. However, I have a business to market. I have made almost all of my sales from word of mouth. People seem to like me and seem to like talking about wood with me. I think it comes from my knowledge and passion for the subject. I can talk about wood and furniture forever. The key to my success has been listening. When I meet a new potential customer, I let them tell me all about what they want, why they want it, where they will put it, and how they will use it. Then I take a step that most people do not. Then I go to the location where the piece will live. I measure the space. I visualize what it will look like; I look at other furniture in the area. I get to know what the customer wants. Only after I fully understand what the customer wants do I decide if I am the woodworker for them and start on a design and quote. Only then do I start my creative process. Listening is the key to a happy marriage and the key to sales.

Pricing:

• Custom work is custom priced.

Contact Info:

• Website: Woodenphilosopher.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_wooden_philosopher/

Image Credits
Wooden Philosopher, LLC