About EmberOak Studio LLC
Ember Oak Studio is a small husband-and-wife shop in Newmanstown, Pennsylvania. We are Josh and Jenn, and we make custom wood gifts one at a time, by hand, for people who want something with a little more meaning than what comes off a shelf.
How We Started
Between us, we have spent more than a decade in direct and commissioned sales, and we still love the energy of a vendor event or a local craft show. Jenn comes from a family of crafters and had been pining, pun intended, to make something of her own instead of selling products somebody else made.
A social media video was the spark. We tried it as a fun side project, and it did not stay small for long. Josh started showing our first cutting board around at work, and within a few weeks orders were coming in. People say to do something you love. We took that advice and ran with it.
What We Make
Ember Oak Studio is a small husband-and-wife shop in Newmanstown, Pennsylvania. We make custom wood gifts one at a time, by hand, for people who want something with a little more meaning than what comes off a shelf.
We started Ember Oak because we kept making things for family and friends, and we kept hearing the same thing back: you should sell these. So we did.
Cutting boards, charcuterie boards, serving trays, and decor for the home. Every piece is made to order, which means you tell us the names, the dates, the inside joke, the handwriting from a card you saved, and we build the design around it.
Real Wood, Really Burned
Our designs are not printed on, and they are not vinyl. We work with a heat-reactive medium brushed onto the wood, and when heat is applied, it darkens the wood itself. The design develops down in the grain rather than sitting on the surface, which is why it cannot peel, chip, or wash off. Every board takes the reaction a little differently depending on its grain and density, so no two pieces come out exactly alike.
From there, we finish each piece ourselves. Where a design calls for it, we bring in color with quality paints and stains, always used to accentuate the burn rather than replace it. Food-safe pieces are conditioned with butcher block oil. Decor and serving pieces get a durable sealant instead. Nothing leaves the shop unfinished.
Wood With A History
Some of our favorite work starts at a thrift store. We hunt local shops for reclaimed wooden pieces that still have good bones, then clean them up, refinish them, and give them a new design. A board someone gave up on becomes something worth setting out on the counter again. These reclaimed pieces are finished as decor and serving pieces rather than cutting surfaces, and each one is genuinely a single find, so when it sells, it is gone.
Working With Us
Custom work should feel easy. Send us your idea, even if it is rough, and we will talk it through with you before anything gets burned. We will show you a proof, make changes until it is right, and only then start on the real piece. If you have a deadline, tell us up front, and we will be honest about whether we can hit it.
Thank you for supporting a small shop. Every order comes off our own workbench, and we are grateful for each one.