Our Process

Keith’s logging and forest management background, combined with years of personal experience are integral in his section process. Each log is individually selected and carefully harvested. All logs are trucked to our facility in Aberdeen, South Dakota to be hand-peeled and dried.

At K&A Log Furniture, peeling is done by hand, not by high pressure water machine, as used by companies offering peeled, stripped or manually peeled logs. Any company that hand-peels will be proud to say so, as we are. Hand-peeling is done with a drawknife (two handles with a blade in between) to remove the bark of the tree. Because every tree is different, this is very physical manual labor making every hand-peeled log furniture piece unique. Once logs are hand-peeled they’re stored in our temperature-controlled kiln to dry.

Inside the kiln, the air is heated slightly and circulated constantly, allowing moisture to evaporates from the logs as part of our slow, even drying process. Condensing units operating 24/7 will collect more than 8 gallons of water daily, during the initial initial dry-in period of 7-10 days. Once the logs dry to a moisture content of less than 15% they are considered stabilized and ready for use in furniture construction. The logs will not shrink, warp or check any further which means our log furniture will never loosen up or wobble.

K & A Log Furniture employs the a mortise and tenon method of construction, an age-old method producing the strongest furniture joint possible. With the recent advancement in specialty polyurethane glues, a log tenon glued in a mortise will never come apart. Our products are handmade treasures, fashioned with skill and experience.

Once constructed, each piece is sprayed with lacquer, sanded and sprayed again. Our lacquer of choice is extremely stain, moisture and heat resistant to provide superior protection against the accidents of life. Once applied, the furniture will never need to be treated again.

Our table, bar and counter tops are covered with a very thick (.125) polymer finish using a detailed process involving several hours of mixing, pouring, leveling and brushing. The results are phenomenal and mirror the finishes used at chain restaurants like Grizzley’s Steakhouse and Outback Steakhouse. The product hardens to the touch, but remains flexible enough to withstand impacts, heat and humidity changes.