A Closer Look at the Cedar Lake Original Log Bed

Today we are going to take a look at a log bed that is becoming very popular on our site.  The Cedar Lake Original Log Bed.  This unique log cabin bed is an exclusive bed to JHE's Log Furniture Place as it is lovingly hand crafted by our own skilled wood craftsmen.  So what separates this classic charming rustic bed from the rest?  Let's take a look and see.

First we will start with the logs.  We locally source the cedar logs from friends and associates.  For the cedar logs we want as much character as possible so we find logs that are naturally aged.  What we find are a lot of dead standing cedar trees and cedar trees that had been cut down by farmers and stored in barns.  There the trees are left to sit allowing nature herself to age the logs.  The naturally aged cedar logs are thusly rich in character and many will feature beetle marks, burls, gnarls and other unique rustic characteristics.

The logs are then peeled by hand.  The bark is gripped in the hand and physically peeled off of the log.   It is a very labor intensive and time consuming process, but the end result are amazingly beautiful logs that have their outer bark stripped away while having areas of cambium, or inner bark, left on.  This hand peeling process ensures that the logs keep as much of their uniqueness as possible.  The cambium also adds some color to the whitish hue that Northern White Cedar has.

The Cedar Lake Original Log Bed itself is custom built to your desires.  This is the main aspect that separates this log bed from the rest.  We wanted to give you the ability to create the log cabin bed of your dreams.  We feel you shouldn't have to choose from only what is offered.  Want double log side rails on your Original Log Bed?  You got it.  Want the log headboard raised higher?  Done.   Want to save some space with a metal frame?  No problem.  Want to go all out with extra large logs for the legs, double log side rails, a taller rustic headboard and footboard and a light honey finish?  Yes, I do believe you are getting the picture now.  You tell us your dream and we deliver it to you.

The construction of our Original Log Bed is designed to be sturdy and solid.  Extra large tenons are used in the construction to ensure each and every log bed is rock solid.  With each log bed being different from the next each of the log beds are assembled, checked over, and then partially unassembled for easy transportation into your bedroom.  We design our beds to hold up to kids, to renters, to honeymooners, to the American public.  Our Cedar Lake Original Log Bed is designed so that you can pass your dream, your log bed, down to your children.

So for a log bed this beautiful, with so many options it has to be priced high right?  Wrong actually.  While this might be valid  for many log cabin furniture companies, we are different.  We feel that you shouldn't be gouged in the pocket just because you have good tastes.  JHE's Log Furniture Place is an American company who is out to prove that quality American products can still be found at a good value.  Who doesn't love a good value?  We sure do.

Let our log furniture amaze you, our prices astound you, our customer service astonish you, and our free shipping be the cherry to top off your dream that has now become your reality. Let the original online log furniture store JHE's Log Furniture Place deliver the log bed of your dreams to you:  The Cedar Lake Original Log Bed.

A Closer Look at the CF1139 Cedar Log Glider

There is something about the rocking motion that is so relaxing.  It is no wonder then why many find the smooth gliding motion to be just as appealing.   A nice benefit of log gliders is that you benefit from the same relaxing motion as a log porch swing or a log yard swing, but without the need of such a large space.  You can now recreate the relaxing harmony of the traditional front porch on the back deck, out by your stream, on a hilltop, or anywhere else you wish!

Comfortable and relaxing our Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Glider offers a calm and relaxing swaying motion.  Once you take your first glide it is easy to see why the cedar log glider’s popularity has been quietly taking off recently.  Just imagine sitting outside with your friend or loved one in a comfortable wood glider talking about your day and feeling the stress ebb away with each graceful motion.

As with all of the sitting pieces in our Contoured Comfort collection from our co-owned factory Lakeland Mills, the cedar log glider was built with comfort in mind.  Hours of design and multiple prototypes all went in to perfecting our outdoor log furniture collection.

Our Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Glider features contoured cedar seat slats which conform to the body.  The contoured shape of the seat slats are designed to reduce pressure points on the body allowing you to sit comfortably for hours without the need of seat cushions.

The cedar slat back is angled slightly to provide a comfortable sitting angle.  This allows you to sit comfortably without sitting too straight or without the feeling of leaning back too much.  In my opinion it strikes the perfect balance.  The seat and back together allow you to “sink” into the rustic glider while still allowing people young and old to easily rise out of the outdoor wooden glider.

The cedar seat and back slats are attached to the log glider frame with screws to ensure that the pieces stay attached.  Staples or nails can work themselves loose over time.  The zinc dichromate screws used in the construction of our Contoured Comfort pieces will not rust or streak and stain your beautiful porch glider or the floor it is sitting on.

The log glider base is built to not only add to the log appeal of our rustic cedar glider but to also be strong and sturdy.  Multiple log braces contribute to the stability of the base ensuring the only movement you encounter is from the movement of the glider.

Speaking of the glider movement – we searched long and hard for smooth gliding hardware that would allow our log glider to glide smoothly and silently.  We also made sure that the gliding hardware would not rust or corrode – allowing the log glider to maintain its smooth and silent gliding motion for years.

Our cedar log glider comes partially assembled.  Assembly is very easy using common household tools.  Figure on the overall assembly taking around 35 minutes for first time assemblers.    For more information on assembling outdoor log furniture please see our blog here:  Assembling Outdoor Log Furniture

Feel free to purchase this comfortable cedar log glider online at www.LogFurniturePlace.com where you will the best quality log furniture with free shipping.  You may also contact us with any questions/comments.

The Cost of Cheap Furniture – How to Find The Best Value in Outdoor Log Furniture

Today I’m going to talk about how to get the most bang for your buck when shopping for outdoor log furniture.   It wasn’t that long ago that you could easily find quality outdoor cedar log furniture offered by quality craftsmen and companies.  It was built with care by people who had a passion for outdoor wooden furniture.  The wood of choice for most of these craftsmen is Northern White Cedar due to the unique characteristics that cedar has.  A piece of outdoor cedar furniture will survive in the open year round for 10 – 20 years depending on where you live.  While it is still possible to find well built outdoor log furniture, one must look a bit more carefully, as a lot of large corporate garden centers are looking to cash in on the unsuspecting and uninformed.  

As happens in all markets large corporate retailers are looking to make more money.  In my opinion, they do not care so much about their customers as they do about keeping their shareholders happy.  So 3 years ago our American made cedar log furniture is purchased and shipped to China.  There they are able to imitate the look but not the quality or comfort.  They build cheap furniture using brittle log furniture made of Chinese Fir.  Why should this counterfeit log furniture be a concern to you?  Let’s take a look at Chinese fir and find out.

Chinese Fir is a prized timber tree in China.  It actually isn’t a fir but is from the evergreen species.  Chinese Fir is a fine wood to use for indoor décor use.  It is actually prized in China for the smell.  Outdoors though Chinese fir becomes very brittle and can become unsafe very quickly, commonly within a year.

Imagine the top log rail of a log yard swing – the rail that supports the weight of the log swing and the people sitting in the swing seat.  If you were to sit 3 people down at once in a log swing the top rail is going to bend slightly.  With a Cedar swing the wood is soft enough to give slightly at the first weight variance.  It then snaps back into place – like a rubber band though with maybe ½” of movement.  Imagine now Chinese fir that is brittle and doesn’t like to bend.  Instead of bending these logs just break under the same weight load.

Another difference you will find is that some Chinese fir log furniture is made out of small 2” diameter logs with small tenons.  As we discussed in “What is a Mortise and Tenon” you know that the larger the tenon the stronger the log furniture.  Many of the samples we have seen of this imported Chinese fir log furniture have also had mold on the logs from where the log furniture was built using wet logs and then packaged up and shipped over.

Lastly Chinese fir furniture just does not hold up as well out in the direct elements of nature as cedar log furniture does .  I bought two Chinese fir Adirondack chairs 3 years ago for testing.  I placed one of these in a covered and screened in deck.  The other was left outside.  The Chinese fir chair that was left outdoors lasted for 8 months.  The Chinese fir chair that was placed in the screened in deck is now 3 years old and is starting to show signs of weakness.  To give a comparison I have had a cedar Adirondack chair out in the open for 7 years now and it still is strong and sturdy.  I've had cedar log furniture outdoors for the same 7 years and it also is as strong and sturdy as it was when new.  In our enclosed deck I have 9 year old cedar log furniture that as of right now I'm guessing will last another 15 to 20 years just by the way it looks now.

Which wood has the best value in outdoor log furniture?

Quality North American outdoor cedar log furniture or Chinese fir log furniture?  Let’s compare log swings and see:

American 5ft Country Garden Cedar Log Swing

• life span of 9 – 15 years 
• cost of $290 including free shipping.  
• At the minimum estimated life span we get $32.33 a year.

Imported Chinese 5ft Chinese Fir Log Swing

• life span of 1 – 2 years 
• cost of $175 at a local large retail store.  
• At the max estimated life span we get $87.50 a year.

I would say the answer is easily American made Cedar Log Furniture.

Weight limits of cedar log furniture vs Chinese fir log furniture

Now figure that both swings are 3 person swings.  Our American made cedar log swing has a weight limit of 700 lbs, the imported Chinese fir swing has a weight limit of 300 lbs.  Can you even swing with your loved one on a Chinese fir log swing safely?

What is the cost of safety to you?  To me it is quite a bit - luckily as shown I can purchase the cedar log swing and it will not only be safer but will be a better value to me long term.  It will actually save me money.

Do you care about buying American made furniture?  So do I.  I'm grateful that I am able to buy American quality cedar log furniture and it will actually save me money and will support local businesses and local craftsmen who care about quality in log furniture.  Think about the long term when you purchase.  These large corporate garden centers are betting that the American public is ignorant and will just look to the bottom dollar.

At JHE’s Log Furniture Place we care about you and we care about log furniture.  You will not find dangerous imported Chinese fir outdoor log furniture on our website.  Chances are you have a local smaller garden center who believes in buying American as well.  Now that you know the difference between Chinese fir and Cedar furniture, what the real cost of cheap furniture is, you will be able to determine for yourself what the best value is when shopping for outdoor log furniture.

Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Tete-A-Tete by Lakeland Mills, Inc

Looking for a place to relax with a special someone after a busy day?  Looking for a comfortable sitting solution for two people?   Maybe something with two chairs connected together with a table in between them.  A table that isn’t overly large but is large enough to serve multiple uses; an armrest, a place to set a cup and plate, a laptop table, etc.  JHE’s Log Furniture Place and Lakeland Mills, Inc has just the thing for you.  The Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Tete-A-Tete.

Today we are going to take a closer look at the cedar log chairs and table set commonly called the log Tete-A-Tete.  This outdoor log furniture set can be found on our website under our outdoor log furniture section.  It is made by our co-owned factory Lakeland Mills, Inc.

You may be wondering why we chose the name tete-a-tete and how it is pronounced.  So let us start with some definitions and pronunciations.  Over the years I’ve heard at least a dozen variations of the pronunciation, there are however as far as I could find, three pronunciations that are correct:

1. ‘tet-ə-ˈtet
2. ‘tāt-ə-ˈtāt,
3. tēt-ə-ˌtēt.

The definition of tete-a-tete is

1. a private conversation between two people
2. a piece of furniture intended to seat two persons
3. Involving two people, intimately private

The inspiration of the design of our cedar log Tete-A-Tete came from these definitions.  Our goal was to create a comfortable piece of wooden outdoor furniture that would allow two people two sit comfortably and enjoy the day conversing amongst themselves.

To meet this goal we incorporated into the seat our extremely comfortable contoured cedar seat slats (found on many of our Contoured Comfort log furniture pieces) .  These contoured seat slats are cut out of cedar logs and are designed to conform to the natural shape of your body as you are sitting.  The result is a wooden seat that sits very comfortably due to the reduced pressure points!

We know a comfortable seat is just the start to a comfortable piece of log furniture so we moved on to the back.  We contoured the top back log so that the slats would be concaved, allowing your back to rest comfortably, again reducing pressure points.  We then adjusted the tilt of the seat and back to both be at comfortable angles.  The seat angle gives the feeling of sinking into the log tete-a-tete while the back is angled to be both relaxing while still sitting upright.

We understand that as much as a person will want to sit and relax all day in our cedar log tete-a-tete one must eventually get up.  The arms are built to be solid and strong rising upwards slightly at the front of the log tete-a-tete creating a sturdy base for your hands to assist raising the body out of the seat.

The cedar log tete-a-tete is constructed using Northern White Cedar.  Northern white cedar is naturally resistant to decay and insect damage.  Northern White Cedar is one of only a few woods that can be used for outdoor log furniture instead of pressure treated lumber because of its long life, durability, stability, and resistance to rot, insects, and fungi.  Learn more about Northern White Cedar here:  Information and Benefits of Northern White Cedar

Our cedar log tete-a-tete will come partially assembled and is easily assembled with common tools and about 15 to 20 minutes of your time.   Rust resistant zinc dichromate hardware is included as well as easy to follow directions written in English.  This is an American made product after all, made by Michigan craftsmen who care about quality and their work.



Please feel free to contact JHE’s Log Furniture Place with any questions or visit us online to purchase your Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Tete-A-Tete today.

I’m Looking at a Bunk Bed, What is a Bunkie Board?

So you have started looking at log bunk beds, congratulations!  A question that comes up a lot when our customers call in to us at JHE’s is “What is a Bunkie board, and do I really need it?”  This is a great question and I’m going to give you a great answer along with some more information on Bunkie boards.  There are many styles of Bunkie boards and we’ll cover all of the ones you will find at JHE’s Log Furniture Place.

A Bunkie Board Is…

A Bunkie board is a thin substitute for a box spring.  It is a thinner platform for the mattress to sit on so that the mattress does not slide through the cross supports on the log bunk bed.  Where a box spring can be 5” – 9” thick a Bunkie board is typically ¾” – 1”.

As the goal of the Bunkie board is to eliminate the need for a box spring it must perform the same function.  It must provide support for the mattress.  To meet this goal the mattress should be placed directly on the Bunkie board with nothing in between.

Some of the log bunk beds you will find on our site include a Bunkie board while others list the Bunkie board as optional.  We have found that some customers prefer to make their own Bunkie boards so we list the Bunkie board as optional on some of the cabin style bunk beds.

The Bunkie Board was Invented Because….

Most styles of bunk beds, including rustic bunk beds, are designed to fit into a room with standard height ceilings.  To fit them into the average size room, care has to be given to provide as much headroom as possible to the bunk below as well as to the bunk above.  Also to meet safety specifications all bunk beds must have a certain number of inches of safety rail above the top mattress.  A 3ft tall safety rail would be needed if a box spring was used on the top bunk and that would put the mattress very close to the ceiling, as well as look pretty odd, so the Bunkie board was invented.

What Styles of Bunkie Boards Do We Carry?

The first style is a standard slat kit.  Slat kits are a series of wooden slats that attach firmly to the log frame of your log bunk bed.  The slats will typically attach to the log cross supports running the width/depth of the rustic bunk bed with screws.  This will ensure that they stay on place on rustic bunk beds that have an open design.

The second style is the plywood Bunkie board.  The plywood Bunkie board is typically made of 5/8” to ¾ plywood.  At first the thought of a plywood Bunkie board may sound pretty dull.  It does not have to be!  Let me share a quick rustic décor tip for the upper bunk Bunkie board.  First find a flat bed sheet with a design on it that you like, it could be a solid color, a rustic theme, camouflage etc.   Now wrap that sheet around the Bunkie board, fully covering the bottom of it, and staple the remaining sheet into the top of the Bunkie board.  Now as you lay on your log bunk bed on the bottom bunk looking up at the top bunk you will see the log cross supports and your dressed up Bunkie board instead of the dull plywood Bunkie board!

The third style is the tongue and groove Bunkie board.  The tongue and groove Bunkie boards are made out of… yes, you guessed it, tongue and groove wooden boards.    These Bunkie boards provide a bit of rustic style and charm while providing solid support for the mattress.

The fourth and last style is the wooden frame Bunkie board.  These Bunkie boards are typically made of a series of wooden slats framed together and covered in fabric to mimic the look of a box spring.

Bunkie Mattresses

You may have seen or heard of a Bunkie mattress but you haven’t been able to find them on our site.  Why is that?  The reason is because, in my opinion, they are not worth the money.  If a child was to wet the bed you can’t clean the mattress and then flip it over and use the other side.  Why not?  Well a Bunkie mattress is a mattress that has a Bunkie board built into it on one side.  Basic coil mattresses need to be flipped so that they do not get lumpy and to give the springs a rest.  This is not possible with a Bunkie mattress.

Are Bunkie Boards Uncomfortable to sleep on?

If you search the internet you will find people who say that using a Bunkie board causes the mattress to be uncomfortable and they couldn’t sleep at all on it.  You can also find people online who say a lot of other crazy things.  In my opinion the mattress you use is going to determine at least 90% of your sleep comfort.

I sleep on a Posture-Air Adjustable Air Mattress by Englander.  It is Englander’s version of the Sleep Number mattress and it is very comfortable.  During our master bathroom renovation we had the opportunity to sleep on our Rustic Lakeland Twin over Full Cedar Log Bunk Bed, which we have in one of our spare bedrooms, for a month.  We slept on a standard Englander mattress with a Bunkie board under it and after a week I could tell a difference.  We added a 4” memory foam topper to the mattress and for the rest of the month I slept like a baby.   Shortly after that we swapped the standard Englander mattress for an upgraded Columbus Pillow Top Mattress.

Our guests commonly choose to sleep in the bunk bed room because they say they like the way it sleeps.  I think it is partially that and partially because you can't help but feel younger when sleeping in a bunk bed.  And when it is a comfortably sleeping log bunk bed... well how can it get better than that?

Please feel free to contact us with any other log furniture related questions that you may have.  We at JHE’s Log Furniture Place are here to help.  Thank you.

Enjoy Your Day with a Comfortable Cedar Log Rocking Chair

There is nothing quite like the feeling of sitting in a comfortable rocking chair and just rocking back and forth.  Something about the motion is calming and relaxing for all ages.  Babies love to be rocked and many young children love to try to rock themselves.  Mothers enjoy rocking their baby to sleep.  Grandparents are often pictured fondly in the mind sitting in their favorite rocking chair as they tell you stories.

Throughout the years rocking chairs have been made in many different shapes and sizes.  The first rustic rocking chairs to appear in England in the early 1700’s were commonly used as garden chairs.  Today we are going to look at a cedar log rocking chair that can be used in the garden, on your porch, on your patio, indoors, or just about anywhere else you would like to place it.

The Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Rocking Chair, model # CF1125 made by our co-owned factory Lakeland Mills, inc, is hand built using Northern White Cedar.  Yes, the same Northern White Cedar that is nearly impervious to insects, rot, and fungi.  The same cedar that requires little maintenance, is dimensionally stable, and is as durable as it is beautiful.    You will not find any cheap and brittle Chinese Fir in the construction of this log rocking chair.  You may read more about the benefits of Northern White Cedar here: Information & Benefits of Northern White Cedar

Our cedar log porch rocker features comfortable contoured seat slats.  The seat slats contour to fit the natural shape of the body minimizing pressure points.  The slatted fan style back is also slightly concaved to provide a comfortable back rest.  The back is also angled just right, not sitting too upright, and not leaning too far back.  This log rocker was designed with comfort in mind, comfort and durability.

Our log rocking chair is constructed from time tested Mortise and Tenon construction.  You can read more about the mortise and tenon here: What is a Mortise and Tenon? The tenons used in the construction of the wooden rocking chair are large to ensure the rocking chair is strong and durable.

Assembly is very easy as the log rocking chair will come partially assembled.  The back and the seat will be fully assembled.  Figure on the rustic rocking chair taking 10 to 15 minutes to assemble.

I personally love the Contoured Comfort collection.  We have quite a few pieces on our own front porch and screened in back porch.  It is always a fun experience watching people sit in it the first time.  Seeing the look of amazement come over their face as their belief that log furniture is uncomfortable without cushions is shattered.

I also love the fact that since this eco-friendly rustic furniture collection is made of white cedar and thick durable tenons it will last us for 15+ years.  I also love the fact that this rustic rocker is made by an American company who’s employees care about the rustic furniture they are hand crafting.  See my video of the Contoured Comfort Cedar Log Rocking Chair below

Introducing Rustic Log Bathroom Vanities from our Cedar Lake Collection

In the search for a rustic log vanity you will come across many styles and collections online.  There are numerous log vanities that look great, but what a lot of our customers do not realize before purchasing is that many of the most popular log vanities online have cabinets and counter tops which are made from furniture grade plywood with a thin veneer.  You can recognize these vanities by reading the descriptions where they will state that they come with a 'Log Edge Top' or 'Slab Style Top'.  I don’t know about you but I don’t associate thin veneers with rustic furniture in my head.  I think of beefy solid wood furniture that can take a scratch and take a dent and look better for it afterwards.  We decided to redeem people's visions of solid and durable rustic vanities by taking that beefy solid wood furniture mental image and turning it into Our Cedar Lake collection of rustic bathroom vanities.  These log bathroom vanities are available in two cabin style flavors just like our rustic bedroom dressers and log chests and are built to last a lifetime.

Our rustic log bathroom vanities are available in various sizes starting at 30” wide and moving up to 72” wide.  We are also more than happy to custom build to specific sizes if the need arises.  We offer various options on the vanities so that you can customize your log bathroom vanity to look exactly the way you want it.

For our original design for our log bathroom vanities we took inspiration from log cabin homes.  The tongue and groove commonly found on the interior walls, the unique log trim found on staircases, and the thick slab wooden countertops found on bar tops.  The end result is a log vanity with a thick and solid countertop with a natural front edge.  This sturdy natural countertop sits on top of the vanity base which has sides made from wooden tongue and groove boards.  We use hand sorted and picked naturally aged hand peeled cedar logs which feature various unique natural characteristics for the log corners.  The smooth gliding drawers are available with flat drawer fronts or you can kick up the rustic style of the vanity by choosing half log drawer fronts.

For our second design style on our log bathroom vanities we took inspiration from our Cedar Lake Logger collection.  As you may have read about on our blog introducing our Cedar Lake Collection found here:  Article introducing the Cedar Lake Collection, we went all out on the Logger collection.  The same holds true with our Cedar Lake Logger Bathroom Vanities.  We went all out for a true rustic look and feel.

The Logger bathroom vanities feature half log trim made from our naturally aged cedar logs.  This trim lines all visible sides of the rustic vanity cabinet.  The same half logs will make up the drawer fronts as well.  The authentic antler drawer pulls help glide the drawers open and shut effortlessly and silently on roller bearing glides.  The log vanity top will also be a solid thick slab of wood with a natural wavy front edge.  The sides of the countertop are hand draw knifed and a splash of color will be added with a blow torch.  The countertops are then finished with a liquid glass finish.  The liquid glass finish sets off the colors of the wood and scorch marks from the torch.

The Cedar Lake Log Bathroom Vanity collection is made to last a lifetime.  No shortcuts are taken in the construction for either rustic vanity style.  When you think of rustic furniture you think of solid furniture and our goal is to have you think of JHE’s Log Furniture Place Cedar Lake collection.  A collection of rustic log furniture that has so much unique character that you can look at it again and again and see something unique, previously unnoticed, each time.