Wolf Run Timber & Metals

At the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, about 10 to 15 miles away from the Native American cave dwellings renown in the Hocking Hills area of Ohio, nestled between the Kessler Swamp State Nature Preserve and the Hide-A-Way Hills gated community, is a little place called Wolf Run Timber and Metals.  Getting there is almost as scenic as you would have imagined “over the river and through the woods” would have been as a child.  As idyllic and beautiful as this place is, its tragic story will touch your heart and stay with you always.    

Greg Lupo and his business partner, Shawn Loveless, have a shared history that spans over 30 years, Shawn was even the best man at Greg’s wedding. Both veterans of the Cable industry, this team is currently living their life’s dream making live-edge furniture and working with a CNC plasma cutting machine to combine nature’s opposites, wood and metal. For Greg and Shawn, working with wood and creating beautiful designs with metal are secondary to bringing the dreams of their clients to life.

This vision, of helping others, and bringing the imaginations of those around them to fruition, is drawn from a deep well of sadness that underlies the lines and scars that tell the story of these men. Out of loss, comes a primal desire to live, to live well, to live in a way that fulfills you, and it is this mentality that drives Greg and Shawn past the heartbreak in their lives and towards a goal to enrich the world with the gifts and talent that is obvious in their gorgeous work.

Greg was married to the love of his life, Jennifer, who he recently lost… and her brother, Jerry Amos, one of Greg’s best friends, found the property where Wolf Run Timber & Metals is located. The property was purchased in 2010. Shortly afterwards, Greg’s father, Joseph Lupo, named it “Wolf Run” saying, “it is a wilderness where a wolf runs.” Jerry and Joseph have also both passed away now, making their contributions to the business part of its rich legacy that will continue to live as long as the furniture that is made there survives. Greg remembers his family by fondly saying that they gave him his life. It is a life that is enriched beyond belief by the service that he and Shawn are able to provide to others.

Every Wednesday is Wood Wednesday at Wolf Run, a time when Greg and Shawn tour the neighborhood and property for damaged or fallen wood that they are able to recycle from the ground and reclaim from what would have been otherwise scrapped, or turned into mulch, to instead use in the gorgeous furniture that they create. Each piece made at Wolf Run Timber & Metals goes through a rigorous process that includes on-site milling, and 1-3 years of drying time where the moisture content of the wood is checked on a weekly basis. There is one heated kiln, and 5 airdry kilns on site that help with the drying process before it is then planed, sanded, each crack and crevasse is found and filled, before being transformed into a piece that will lovingly adorn its new home.

Stocked in the showroom, you can find anything from cutting boards, to chairs, tables, stools, and signs. Each piece is as unique as the tree that it comes from. The various woods include local stock such as Maple, Hickory, Cherry, Red Oak, White Oak, and Walnut… as well as more rare woods such as Locust, Cedar, Ash, Poplar, Birch, Beach, and Osage Orange. The choice of the type of finish on the pieces include a wide range of natural finishes and waxes to more shiny options such as lacquers, varnishes, and even some acrylic. Each month they alternate between having the milling machine and the CNC plasma machine out and working, so keep an eye on their social media… which will tell you which machine is out if you are looking for something specific. Greg and Shawn firmly believe in serving their community, their neighbors, and supporting the brands and businesses that provide them with the products that they use in their work. So don’t be afraid to ask them what they recommend to maintain the beauty of your piece.

At the end of the day, when you are needing a custom piece of furniture that is distinctive and unique, the only place to go is Wolf Run Timber and Metals. Greg and Shawn will be on hand to help you put your imagination, thoughts, and creativity into a gorgeous one-of-a kind piece that will become a part of your own living legacy.