About Us

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide high quality hardwood products to people that appreciate the character and diversity of one of God's finest natural products.

We believe the hardwoods of Wisconsin are among the most beautiful woods in the world and accent each other nicely when combined. Most of our wood originates in the urban and rural landscapes of southern Wisconsin. Our logs come from city lots as well as fence lines and woodlots too small to garner the interest of most commercial timber harvesters. Cutting our own wood provides lumber with greater character and allows us to track lumber from a single tree. In many cases, this allows us to incorporate natural log edges and other unusual pieces into finished furniture products and to better match color and grain patterns within a project.

History

Unofficially, The Wood Cycle goes back through several generations of Dutch immigrant craftsman. Paul Morrison, the founder of The Wood Cycle obtained his passion for woodworking as a young boy following both his grandfathers. One grandfather was a watch maker and jeweler before becoming a cabinetmaker. He in turn followed his uncle "Tinker Bill", who was described as "The Master Craftsman" in the book Craftsmen of Wisconsin.  To a large extent, the principals of The Wood Cycle are based on the practicality and ingenuity of these men; use the resources in your own back yard and the mind you’ve been blessed with, both to the best of your ability and the glory of your God.

Officially, The Wood Cycle of Wisconsin, LLC, was formed in 2001 when Paul decided to trade in his office profession for his life passion. At this same time, The Wood Cycle began its move from a basement hobby to its current location; an abandoned farm. The restored goat barn became the shop, the turkey shed became the sawmill barn and farmhouse became our office.

In 2008 "LLC" became "Inc" as we expanded our operations.  The largest of our current buildings, a "round rafter" barn was moved from within the Village of Oregon, two miles across the snow covered fields to our site.  This barn now serves as our expanded shop and finishing rooms and is home to The Hayloft Gallery.  We are now able to show the range of our work in this gallery and once a year we also invite other artists to our annual Hayloft Gallery Art Fair www.thehayloftgallery.com

The Wood Cycle name has several sources. Primary among these is involvement in all aspects of wood production:

• Tree planting and wood lot management
• Log harvesting, milling and drying
• Design and production of cabinets and furniture

When possible, we desire to begin from a tree that recently died or must be removed and work through to a finished cabinet or furniture product. And the ideal customer for the finished product is the owner of the property from which the tree came.

Secondary sources for the company name include a personal interest in bicycling and the desire to construct a functional bicycle using nothing but wood; an incomplete plan originated by the founder's grandfather.

The Craftsmen

Paul Morrison

Paul founded The Wood Cycle in 2001 after discovering his hobby was just as rewarding whether the end product would be enjoyed by himself or by others. Paul's woodworking skills are primarily self-taught, but was heavily inspired by several artists and craftsmen in his family; especially by his grandfather, a cabinet maker. After first exhibiting work in his teens, Paul was trained in engineering and spent 20 years addressing environmental policy before deciding to pursue his passion as his profession.

Jonathan

Jonathan, the owner's nephew, started with the business in August, 2004, immediately upon graduating from Fox Valley Technical College in Wood Manufacturing Technology. While in school, he submitted a project to a national AWFS student design contest, in which he received an honorable mention. Jonathan says, "It's nice being able to take something through the whole process, from tree to the final project." He enjoys the variety of projects, woods, and designs The Wood Cycle brings.

Scott

Scott is a more recent addition to the staff, joining The Wood Cycle in 2011.  Scott bringing a long history of artistic application in a number of media, but with most work of his past work applied to the landscape.  Moving to the hardwoods was a natural extension of this past work but with an added level of precision that fits his personality well.