Woodworking is Luke Frisch’s livelihood. At Hazel Burr Design, he supports his family by creating high-end wooden tables, countertops, charcuterie boards, and much more. “It’s not just important. It’s vital,” explains Frisch. “This is how we feed the kids. It’s how we pay the bills.”
This Baileigh Biography video offers a fun peek into Frisch’s workshop and storage spaces. He displays a variety of gorgeous wood slabs. “We’ve got anything from wild tamarind to cashew to monkeypod and parota.”
Most of large pieces of wood in his shop come from fallen rain forest timbers, ethically sourced in Costa Rica. But, in the end, “it’s all about what the customer likes.” Frisch uses domestic hardwoods, like walnut or oak, and pine, as well.
Frisch finishes one-of-a-kind wood pieces and often adds steel elements for unique and elegant furniture: “It’s all fabricated. Nothing’s bought.”
If you were ever curious about Baileigh’s woodworking machines, Frisch shares his thoughts on how the tools have been valuable to him. Here are some of them:
- Vertical Bandsaw WBS-14: This 14” saw was Frisch’s first Baileigh machine. He uses it for cutting down high timbers or resawing.
- Long Bed Parallelogram Jointer IJ-883P: “It makes for a nice tight joint so it’s invisible.”
- Oscillating Spindler Sander OS-2424: He relies on this one to “make all my really cool edges on my charcuterie boards.”
- Heavy Duty Wood Lathe WL-180VS: Frisch uses this robust machine to make, among other things, baseball bats for his cousin.
- Industrial Planer IP-208: Running on a mighty 5HP motor, “it makes quick work of anything that needs to be planed down. It’s a badass machine,” declares Frisch.
- 3HP Dust Collection System DC-2100C: Frisch calls this “the most important machine in my whole shop,” because it helps keep the air nice and clean. It’s also simple to maintain: “It’s really easy to pop this bad boy off and just empty out your dust.”
One major advantage of Baileigh machinery for Frisch is the customer service: “if I’ve got a problem, I just call my buddy over at Baileigh in Manitowoc and it’s taken care of.”
When building a business, social media attention can make all the difference. Baileigh’s social media community has given Frisch an online group to connect with. “You remember the hashtag #BaileighArmy? You’re in the club. You’re a part of this network of people who make cool sh*t.”
Frisch gives credit to Baileigh’s resident “multimedia martial artist” Shane Henderson for raising Hazel Burr Design’s profile on Instagram.
“[Shane] boosted my business from just a few hundred followers to thousands of people following me,” says Frisch. “He shined a spotlight on me because he believed in what I do.”
Watch the Baileigh Biography video on Hazel Burr Design.