Assistant editor, Ana Lambert, sat down with Hartwood Timber’s owner, Robert Joslin, to shine a light of the uniqueness of timber sign making and the company’s sustainability efforts.
Robert Joslin, owner of Hartwood Timber
Hartwood Timber is a small independent business with a passion for crafting wooden products using a sustainable, considered approach.
While the company originally focused on furniture and household timber structures, the introduction of CNC technology to the business in 2020 opened the door to signage production. What began as a simple engraved house sign soon revealed the growing demand for sustainable timber signage – setting Hartwood Timber on a new path within the sign industry.
The beginning
Founded in 2013, by owner Robert Joslin, the company originally started off by creating spiral staircases, kitchen workshops, and other timber furniture by hand. Since its creation, the company has prided itself on being a sustainable, unique timber product-making business.
Robert mentioned how he prides himself on using traditional woodworking techniques, alongside bespoke designing, and routing by CNC technology.
He said: “The majority of our sign production also involves bespoke CAD design work, traditional woodcraft techniques, and hand-finishing, which are central to what we do as a small independent timber workshop and ensure we are adaptable to the individual needs of our customers.”
He continued by saying that the combination of traditional and modern tools, was in order to create high-quality sustainable timber signage which was more accessible rather than relying on predominantly machinery made signage.
Robert said: “I ended up buying a CNC machine and the first thing I made was a house sign. I typed in ‘your name’ text and took a photo of it and I put it on eBay. I started selling lots of signs, and I thought, this is something that can add value to timber. So it started purely by chance.
“Then in the first lockdown, the number of orders started coming through from people wanting signs because they couldn’t do anything and were all at home doing DIY. That really exploded Hartwood Timber in to the signage industry.”
The boom of interest in signage during the lockdown, has led to Robert, and his sales and office co-ordinator – and CAD designer – Sarah, working with nationally recognised names, including the National Trust on their wayfinding signage and the Mounted Police’s stable signs.
The warmth of timber
Robert working on a large timber sign
Timber is a versatile material, being used for outdoor and indoor furniture, ornaments, accessories and even signage. The uses of timber are many, and Robert’s love for the unique material is what has kept him away from the standard plastic-based materials.
Robert said: “Timber is a very warming product, people know oak, they know timbers like this. With plastic or metal, its very functional and lasts a long time, but with timber every piece is completely unique. You get the grain, the colour, and I just think it’s something which gives the character of a lot of buildings.”
Robert is not only the owner of Hartwood Timber, but also the craftsman. However, creating timber signage from hand alone can be incredibly costly
for the client. So, by using a blend of Robert’s traditional woodworking techniques, with modern machinery input, timber sign making has been made
more affordable for Robert’s customers.
Robert added: “I think there’s a lot more people looking forward to having something handmade, with proper techniques, rather than just relying solely on a machine.”
Recognition
This pride towards his craft is what has led him to his first awards nomination, with several entries into the recent Sign Industry Awards. For Robert, and his one-strong team, he mentions it is an honour to be recognised for the products that they are making.
Robert said: “I haven’t been in for any awards previously, so it’s really nice to because it’s in the sign industry and we’re a small company down in Cornwall, but we’re making a big impact on the industry and supplying timber signs all around the UK.
“So, it’s really important that we get recognised that it’s not just a machine turning out a piece of a product. It’s actually someone making something by hand, and that’s really important in this day and age.”
Since, the awards Hartwood Timber has been highly commended for two of its three nominations; Sustainable Product of the Year and Robert himself for Excellence in Craftsmanship. Hartwood Timber is breaking the mould on not only timber signage, but also on how seriously the company takes
sustainability.
Sustainability
Hand painted timber sign
Instead of implementing sustainability measures once the company was founded and secure in its running, as most companies across all industries have done, Hartwood Timber did their environmentally-friendly efforts slightly differently. Embracing eco-friendly measures within Hartwood Timber has been part of the company’s ethos since its creation.
By using timber as its only product-making material, Robert wanted to make sure that everything he did was in line with certifications and sustainability measures from the very start.
Robert said: “We only buy FSC certified timber, so that we know we’re using sustainable products. For instance, we’re not using timber that’s being cut down and not replanted again. We’re really careful to make sure that we are using certified timber.
“It’s been the philosophy and ethos of the company since day one. I have to make sure I’m using everything sustainably, even to the point of our waste material. All of our sawdust goes to a local company, who turn all the sawdust into briquets and then they sell the briquets on.”
Robert continued to mention that buying materials in the correct way can make a difference in being sustainable.
Robert added: “We’ve got to make sure that in this day and age that we’re using timber as a sustainable resource, as we don’t have a lot of it. We’ve got to make sure that whatever we’re buying, that they are doing it in the correct way.”
It’s not just the timber area of the business that is sustainably sound, Robert also installed solar panels on the roof and uses linseed-based oils when
finishing to limit the amount of harmful chemicals used on his timber signage, creating more eco-friendly signage for people, animals, and the environment.
Looking outwards
Robert’s aspirations for Hartwood Timber is to expand its trade clientele more, as it predominately focuses on retail and one-time customer-based business.
“We’re really open to working with more trade companies in the sign industry, especially those who cannot make the signs themselves.”
Today, the company produces a wide range of timber signage, including hanging signs, wall and gate signage, estate and entrance signs, ladder signs, and larger wayfinding schemes and has recently introduced fully painted framed signage.
This desire for growth is sure to lead Hartwood Timber into yet another new era of its business, so just think as you walk around a National Trust property that Robert and Hartwood Timber may have had a hand in making those.
