Today we’d like to introduce you to Max McCaskill.
Hi Max, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started with a palm sander in my grandfathers shop around age 7 and that is where my woodworking career would begin. I learned to work with mesquite wood mainly, making live edge tables and lodge style furniture. I did not always work with wood for a living. I had gone into several fields of work after graduating highschool in 2014, but I never let go of woodworking. Eventually I ended up at Wimberley Chairs and after working for original owners as a shop foreman for several years, I was offered the opportunity to take over the business and make it my own. Now I have taken the business back to my grandfathers old shop, where I first learned to work with wood, and continue to run Wimberley Chair Company.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been smooth by any means. The easiest part for me is keeping the standard of quality in our products the same as it has been for over 12 years. From learning how to build furniture, to learning how to operate a website, to becoming a business owner and improving my “people-skills”, the road has been anything but smooth. The process of simply moving our machines to a new location, deciding the most efficient configuration, as well as many repairs and additions made is still an ongoing process and we are still making adjustments everyday. As a small business owner there is much more to it than simply knowing how to make a chair. I have always believed that taking these hard tasks seriously, and never looking for the easy road is what makes our handmade products great. I can go on and on about how difficult it is to run a business, but the truth is, I have always loved the work and it is my dream come true to be in the position that I am in now.
We’ve been impressed with Wimberley Chair Company, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Wimberley Chair Company has been around since 2012. Since then we have become well known especially in the Texas Hill Country for our handmade outdoor seating. Our goal has always been simple – to create affordable outdoor furniture that is not only the most comfortable design, but also tough enough to withstand everything that Texas climate can throw at them. Our product line includes Adirondack style chairs, loveseat benches, tall chairs, swings, kids chairs, corner tables, ottoman foot rests, and the most recently we have added swing A-frames to our lineup. We also do our best to make custom pieces. For example, right now we are making a custom high chair for an older child with autism, whose mother could not find anyone who would make an affordable high chair large enough to meet their needs. This is just one example of our commitment to providing people with the best, most honest products when it comes to wooden furniture.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
When I was first starting out as a woodworker, I did not know where it would take me, but I stuck with my dream through thick and thin and I would credit that to be the reason I have made it to where I am today. If you stay committed to your goals and you’re willing to do the work no matter how difficult the task, you will succeed. There are many times that I feel like I am not succeeding, but the difference is made when you decide to keep going, or to give up. Don’t ever give up.
Pricing:
- Standard Adult Adirondack Chair – $199
- Adult Adirondack Rocking Chair – $229
- Swing – $379
- Loveseat – $329
- Corner Table – $99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wimberleychairs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimberleychaircompany?igsh=MTVqNWFqamM5Mjgxag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Brooke Cantu
