About Us
Welcome to our new site!
My name is Greg Layne and I am passionate about woodworking and exotic lumber. I first discovered Hinoki when I was operating an interior renovation company in NYC. I was bidding a new job and Hinoki wall paneling was specified for two bathrooms in a new minimalist Japanese Restaurant. I contacted every wood supplier I had and nobody had access to any and most didn't even know what it was. I was intrigued. I began researching and learned about the amazing properties of hinoki. Incredibly strong, while, smooth and soft. It also has an amazing scent that gently lofts when you are in the presence of this sacred timber. I discovered I could import the material from Japan, but it would be a lengthy and costly endeavor and did not fit the parameters for our potential client. In the end I did not get the project nor did they panel their bathroom walls with hinoki. But my love for hinoki was only beginning. I did find some scrap hinoki on Ebay and ordered as much as I could. The scent was the first thing I fell for but the more I worked with it the more I came to love its stability and soft touch.
I connected with a timber supplier in Japan and made arrangements to purchase a container full of hinoki logs. As we went through the process my supplier and his shipping broker realized we were the first people to ever import hinoki logs from Japan. This created some complications because the USDA wanted us to put the hinoki in a kiln for the fumigation process. This could not happen. Hinoki needs to be slowly air dried for many years to maximize its unique properties. We had to make special arrangements and my supplier came up with a unique solution. We used a steam heat process to bring the timber to the necessary temperature to meet the USDA requirements. The only trade off was we had to mill the logs in half to meet the volume/density parameters.
This was 5 years ago. I have been monitoring the moisture and keeping the timber out of the elements on my farm in rural Pennsylvania. I have recently milled off the first batch and have thoroughly enjoyed running my Kana (Japanese hand plane) through fresh stock. When I enter my shop after a day of working hinoki it is nothing short of soulful experience. One I hope to share with you.
Please look around the site to see our current offerings. Please contact me directly for inquires and to discuss special projects. I am open to any projects you may have in mind.
All the best and thanks for visiting!
Greg Layne
Springtown PA 3-1-2021
My name is Greg Layne and I am passionate about woodworking and exotic lumber. I first discovered Hinoki when I was operating an interior renovation company in NYC. I was bidding a new job and Hinoki wall paneling was specified for two bathrooms in a new minimalist Japanese Restaurant. I contacted every wood supplier I had and nobody had access to any and most didn't even know what it was. I was intrigued. I began researching and learned about the amazing properties of hinoki. Incredibly strong, while, smooth and soft. It also has an amazing scent that gently lofts when you are in the presence of this sacred timber. I discovered I could import the material from Japan, but it would be a lengthy and costly endeavor and did not fit the parameters for our potential client. In the end I did not get the project nor did they panel their bathroom walls with hinoki. But my love for hinoki was only beginning. I did find some scrap hinoki on Ebay and ordered as much as I could. The scent was the first thing I fell for but the more I worked with it the more I came to love its stability and soft touch.
I connected with a timber supplier in Japan and made arrangements to purchase a container full of hinoki logs. As we went through the process my supplier and his shipping broker realized we were the first people to ever import hinoki logs from Japan. This created some complications because the USDA wanted us to put the hinoki in a kiln for the fumigation process. This could not happen. Hinoki needs to be slowly air dried for many years to maximize its unique properties. We had to make special arrangements and my supplier came up with a unique solution. We used a steam heat process to bring the timber to the necessary temperature to meet the USDA requirements. The only trade off was we had to mill the logs in half to meet the volume/density parameters.
This was 5 years ago. I have been monitoring the moisture and keeping the timber out of the elements on my farm in rural Pennsylvania. I have recently milled off the first batch and have thoroughly enjoyed running my Kana (Japanese hand plane) through fresh stock. When I enter my shop after a day of working hinoki it is nothing short of soulful experience. One I hope to share with you.
Please look around the site to see our current offerings. Please contact me directly for inquires and to discuss special projects. I am open to any projects you may have in mind.
All the best and thanks for visiting!
Greg Layne
Springtown PA 3-1-2021