No. 01
i.
Local windfall, not lumber-yard stock
Every board starts as a standing tree within a day's drive. Urban salvage, storm wood, a neighbor's old sycamore.
Est. the slow way · Knox County
Wood with a
memory, &
hands that listen.
Michael Cedoz — a one-man shop in Knox County, turning storm-felled Ohio hardwoods into bowls, pens, tables, and commissions meant to outlive the maker.
Plate I
The workshop — Mount Vernon
Michael Cedoz has been turning wood for the better part of two decades, most of it alone, most of it after dark. Redbarn is the name on the door — a gambrel-roofed shop a few miles outside Mount Vernon, where the Kokosing cuts through Knox County and the oaks have opinions about weather.
The work begins where the tree ends. A neighbor calls about a windfall; a storm takes a limb off a fence-line cherry; a 100-year-old oak comes down for construction. What arrives on the trailer is rarely dimensional lumber. It's a log, with knots, with history, with a life it has already lived.
"I'd rather spend a month with a single piece of walnut than a weekend with a truckload of plywood."
Everything that leaves the shop has been handled — milled, stacked, dried, re-stacked, planed, chiseled, sanded by the same pair of hands. There are no apprentices. There is no CNC. There is a kettle, a radio that mostly works, and two shop dogs — Kodiak and Lizzie — who supervise.
— Michael Cedoz
Redbarn Wood Turning · Mount Vernon, OH
A few marks of the maker — the things that hold, and the things we won't budge on.
§ 02 — PrinciplesNo. 02
ii.
Hand tools, where it matters
Machines rough it in; hand tools finish it. A surface planed, not sanded, catches light in a way a belt sander cannot.
No. 03
iii.
Oil and wax — never polyurethane
Finishes you can renew with a rag and an afternoon. Wood should age, not be sealed under plastic.
No. 04
iv.
One piece, one maker
From log to final coat, the same hands. No outsourcing, no subcontracting, no white-labeling.
No. 05
v.
Air-dried, patient wood
Two winters under the eaves before a board is considered ready. Kiln-drying saves time; air-drying saves character.
No. 06
vi.
If it breaks, bring it back
A Redbarn piece is repaired for the life of the maker. Mail it, drop it off, we'll mend it.
§ 03 — The work
Four ways a board becomes
Four ways a board becomes
something you can hold.
i.
Bowls & vessels
Turned from select hardwoods — knots, grain, and character left intact.
ii.
Pens & small items
Precision writing instruments and everyday carries, balanced in the hand.
iii.
Furniture & large work
Tables, consoles, and statement pieces that warm a room and hold a family.
iv.
Custom commissions
Bring the idea — a dimension, a room, a story. We'll figure out the tree together.
§ 04 — Letters from customers
What people say after a piece finds its home.
★★★★★
When our son was born, we wanted something truly special for his nursery. Michael crafted a beautiful bassinette that's as sturdy as it is gorgeous. Knowing it was made by hand makes it that much more meaningful — this is something we'll pass down for generations.
★★★★★
We'd been searching for a kitchen table that felt like the heart of the home, and Michael delivered exactly that. The oak is absolutely stunning — the grain, the finish, the craftsmanship. Every time we sit down for dinner, someone comments on how beautiful it is.
★★★★★
Found Redbarn's Mud Kitchen on Facebook and knew right away the grandchildren would adore it. A quick Venmo, a friendly pickup at the workshop, and the kids have barely come inside since. Exceptional craftsmanship — every joint solid, every edge smoothed — and Mike was a pleasure to work with from first message to handoff.
§ 05 — Correspondence
Tell me about the tree,
Tell me about the tree,
or the it's headed for.
Most pieces begin with an email — a photo of a room, a rough dimension, a story about someone the piece is for. There's no form required. Just a note, and a patient reply.
michael@redbarnwoodturning.com →
Workshop
A red barn on a county road
Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
Visiting hours
By appointment —
Thursdays & Saturdays
Thursdays & Saturdays
Elsewhere
Facebook · @redbarnwoodturning
Journal — updated monthly
Journal — updated monthly