Growing up in the pacific northwest, my love for the mountains began at an early age. Hiking and backpacking became something that filled me up and helped me recalibrate my priorities. Always striving for the next largest peak and the next greatest alpine view I would sit in awe of the beauty of nature as my worries fell away. Woodworking also became a passion of mine at an early age. Building and creating seemed to come naturally to me and I couldn’t get enough of it . As I grew older I realized how much these two passions had in common. Just as every alpine view was different and unique so was each tree and piece of wood. I now strive to incorporate natural design into my art and furniture. Whether it be in the proportions of a piece of furniture or a mountain silhouette, I love to design pieces that make people feel-as I feel-sitting on an alpine peak.

The Mill

Unlike most modern companies, we salvage our slabs from here in central Washington. When a tree has died, we work side by side with the arborist to ensure the best yield of the material. After we load up the heavy logs we take it to our good friend’s family orchard where we carefully and thoughtfully mill it into workable slabs. Once the material is back in Ellensburg we store them in our barn to be seasoned for a minimum of two years. Once the moisture content is at the desired level we are ready to reveal the amazing grain and new life of the wood.

The Metal Shop

The Kittitas valley boasts many talented small business owners. Valley Stealworks is no exception. Here in the metal shop, the desired silhouettes which are initially sketched by Aaron, are cut by Robby from sheet metal by hand using a plasma torch. Robby, who is featured in this photo, also builds our furniture bases to ensure they are of the utmost quality.

The Wood Shop

We pride ourselves in building everything by hand with no help from a computer automated machine. Our old school way of doing things ensures that every piece that comes out of our shop is a one of a kind piece of art. We take our time to work with the wood to ensure that we bring out its natural beauty and new purpose. With over ten years of experience, we are constantly learning and experimenting with new and exciting concepts that push us and inspire us.