WOHS student starts custom woodworking business

When you step into the Beahler home in Winter Garden, it’s hard to miss all the different wooden pieces of furniture and decor — the farm-style coffee table, window boxes to hold succulents, the large mountain scene over the fireplace.

Brady Beahler is the craftsman behind these pieces, and he credits his woodshop teacher, Rudy Zubricky, at West Orange High School for introducing him to the trade and helping him hone his skills.

Beahler, a WOHS junior, started BB WoodWorking, and he accepts custom projects in his free time.

“I took woodworking with Mr. Z, and that got me started,” Beahler said. “I was bored over Thanksgiving break, so I just started making stuff with my dad’s saw that I had, and I just started making stuff from there. Mr. Z inspired me to make stuff on my own. In his class, I made a small lamp, a stool you can stand on and a side table.”

Beahler used Zubricky’s lessons and took his building skills to another level through YouTube videos. He also spent a summer working in a cabinet shop, which taught him to pay attention to detail.

IF YOU DREAM IT, HE CAN CREATE IT

Beahler’s woodshop takes up much of the garage, but his parents, Lorrie and Wayne Beahler, don’t mind. They are thrilled to watch their son’s productivity and entrepreneurialism.

He is quite the craftsman and has built a variety of furniture pieces and home decor with his router, sander, table saw, miter saw and circular saw.

During the holidays last year, Beahler sold about 50 Christmas trees of varying sizes out of reclaimed wood. He also has made smaller pieces, such as the HOME sign that stands outside the family home, and several trays with herringbone and Union Jack patterns — and larger projects such as the coffee table in their living room and a walnut desk.

It takes five or six hours to make a tray, Beahler said, and about nine for the coffee table.

“However, the time is decreasing as I get more experienced,” he said.

His favorite of all his projects is the mountain range art piece, one of his earlier pieces.

“Every year I go to North Carolina for a summer camp, and I just like being in the mountains, so I think it represents that, and it kind of reminds me of that,” Beahler said.

His mother is happy having a carpenter in the house; when she needed a laundry sorter, he built one to hold six baskets.

Currently, he is building a wedding arch, a walnut table and shelves. A dining room table for his parents also is on his list of projects.

The wood Beahler uses depends on the project. Southern yellow pine, walnut and maple are frequently used, and on occasion, he uses reclaimed wood, such as the pallet-wood Christmas trees he makes and sells during the holidays. By staining the pine, Beahler, said, he can make it look like other types of wood.

He knows the local sources, such as Central Wood Products, where he buys his hardwoods, as well as Lowe’s, Home Depot and 84 Lumber for his pine wood.

Project prices tend to fluctuate with the lumber prices, so Beahler will provide the cost when customers order.

The money Beahler makes at BB WoodWorking will go toward his college education. He hopes to attend either the University of Florida or the University of Tennessee and study law or criminal psychology.