Fox Custom Woodwork LLC was founded in late 2020. In fall 2019, founder Adam Fox started buying and selling sections of reclaimed bowling lane wood as a side job. The venture quickly developed into a business focused on custom woodworking with reclaimed wood.
He started taking commissions for kitchen islands, kitchen counters, dining tables and more to be built with the bowling wood. After amassing a 6 month lead time, he made the pitch to his then fiancé. He could do the work full-time and make a living…
His last day working in a corporate job was in August of 2020 and the rest is history. Since then, Fox Woodwork has completed projects for bars, restaurants and other businesses, as well as residential projects.
Founder & Chief Sawdust Maker: Adam Fox
I started working with my dad around 10 or 11 years old. I like to tell people that I worked my first roofing job at age 11. Granted, I was picking up shingles and pulling nails out of the landscaping, but I started early.
My dad is an engineer and always kept his builder’s license so he could do side projects to make extra money for motorcycles or snowmobiles or boats… He brought home pallets from work so we could break them down and use the wood where we needed it.
Once I had a basic grip on how to use tools safely, I started building things as a teenager that I wanted. I built a bench for my room, nightstands and I was always goofing around with skateboard and bike ramps. One summer in high school, I took a woodshop class at the Careerline Tech Center in Holland. There, I learned about tools and techniques I had never used before and started the foundation of my woodworking knowledge.
After high school, I went to college at Central Michigan University and then moved to Chicago for about 5 years. After that, it was another 5 years in California. During my time in California, I was a project manager on a bar/restaurant remodel. We ran into issues finding contractors that fit our budget. I jumped in and got my hands dirty and got back in touch with building things. After a decade of not doing it much, it felt great.
When my wife and I moved back to Michigan in 2019, my dad’s shop was available to me again. I had to make a choice. It was a difficult one because I loved working on motorcycles and cars, but, I was also passionate about building furniture.
Starting Woodworking with Reclaimed Wood
I became an expert Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist shopper. Over time, I started slowly acquiring used tools I could afford and interesting materials. I was always drawn towards reclaimed wood as something that posed a unique challenge but offered a story that contributed immensely to the final form of a project.
I connected with a guy in Chicago that was selling bowling lane wood and contacted him to buy 10 or 20’ of material to build some tables, thinking it would be a cool project. He said that if I bought 60’ he could make me a better deal. I asked if he cared if I tried to sell it back home and he replied “As long as you bring cash, I don’t care what you do with it!”. My first 60’ of bowling lane sold before I got it home.
I returned the next week and used the proceeds to buy 120’, then 300’ then 700’. After that, I bought a whole 16 lane bowling center and then a 24 and then a 30. Before I knew it, I had sold more than 3 miles of bowling lane in 3 years. By my math, that means that my crew and I have moved over 300 tons of bowling lanes by hand!!!
The Next Chapter
As the business was growing, I continued to reinvest profits into better tools and my own work space. I started working with other reclaimed wood, barnwood, gym flooring, and other odds and ends I’d find second hand… “It’s crazy to think that a few years ago I started working in the driveway of my dad’s pole barn. He didn’t like the sawdust on everything. Fast forward to today, and I’m working out of my own dedicated shop. I currently have a fully outfitted, 2,000 square foot shop and can build just about anything.”
Job Title: Founder & Chief Sawdust Maker
I made up my job title! Because, if we’re being honest, most job titles are made up anyway. It’s partially a riff on how seriously people in corporate America take themselves and their job titles. It also perfectly sums up what I do. I’m a “Founder” that built and managed a business from the ground up with a few thousand dollars initial investment.
I’m a “Chief Sawdust Maker” in that I touch every project I sell. I’m the guy putting his blood, sweat and tears in every piece that comes through the shop.
I relish in my nickname earned from my Chief Sanding Engineer Taylor, who refers to me as “the people’s woodworker”. Getting the daily opportunity to do woodworking with reclaimed wood makes me a lucky guy.
The Philosophy of Custom Woodworking with Reclaimed Wood
Our goal is to build interesting furniture that clients can connect with on a deeper level than the item’s base function. It’s important to challenge myself to come up with creative solutions using material and methods that not everyone even considers. I love solving problems with saws! My solutions always lead to building simple, refined furniture with a minimalist eye. I like to let the material have a part in the story of what a piece is.
Another part of that philosophy is being environmentally minded in saving material otherwise bound for a landfill. I like to salvage as much as I can and give it new life. It’s always the goal to honor the material I use and extend its usefulness beyond what most people think. Honoring the simple beauty of wood and preserving its history is cornerstone to our woodworking philosophy at Fox Woodwork. We work hard to optimize creative design while repurposing material and maximizing utility. Our goal is maximizing function and durability of our one-of-a-kind custom pieces.
