In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, host Jennifer Alger sits down with Joshua Morvant of Revival Timberworks in Louisiana. Joshua shares how his journey through woodworking started with taking apart pawn shop guitars as a teenager, moved into cabinet making to pay the bills, and eventually led him to an apprenticeship with a luthier just outside Quebec City. Living among some of the oldest colonial architecture in North America, buildings constructed in the 1600s that were still standing strong, something clicked. The idea of building something with your hands that could outlast you by centuries became the driving force behind everything he's done since.
What makes Joshua's path unique is that he had no formal apprenticeship in timber framing. He taught himself by visiting historic buildings across the East Coast over a five-year period, studying joints, reading failures, and building a mental toolbox of what works and what doesn't. He talks about how broken braces, undersized members, and insufficient relish behind pins taught him as much as the structures that survived, and how those observations now inform every project Revival Timberworks takes on.
The conversation covers the real-world complexity of integrating timber framing into modern light-frame construction, why the phrase "it's just decorative" has become a trigger for Joshua, and how working closely with engineers from day one leads to smoother, more cost-effective projects. Joshua breaks down how Revival Timberworks operates across multiple client channels, from partner builders and architect relationships to homeowners who find them on Google, and how customizable pergola and timber frame kits have found an unexpected niche with landscape companies looking for turnkey outdoor structures.
Jennifer and Joshua also explore the supply side of the business. Joshua talks about watching Douglas fir log sizes shrink over the past 15 years, the disappearance of old growth material, and why he's become a strong advocate for mass timber and glue-lam as ways to use younger trees more effectively with less waste. He shares his perspective on the 200-year growth cycle needed to produce quality timber and why the conversation about sustainability in the Southeast needs to go deeper, especially on smaller private woodlots where education and attention don't always follow.
Chapters
00:00 Origin Story: From Cabinet Shops to Guitar Building to Timber Framing
04:07 Learning from Old Buildings: What Lasts, What Fails, and Why
09:31 Structural vs. Decorative: Integrating Timber Frames into Modern Construction
12:44 Client Relationships: Builders, Architects, and Homeowners
16:03 Customizable Kits and the Landscape Company Niche
19:36 Marketing Through Relationships and a 15-Year-Old Website
21:41 Bonsai, Yamadori, and the Parallel Path of Working with Living Trees
27:29 Material Sourcing: Shrinking Logs, Thermal Modification, and Mass Timber
34:20 Sustainability, 200-Year Growth Cycles, and the Future of Wood
40:04 What's Next for Revival Timberworks
44:29 Legacy, Mentorship, and Where to Find Revival Timberworks
The Woodpreneur Podcast brings stories of woodworkers, makers, and entrepreneurs turning their passion for wood into successful businesses - from inspiration to education to actionable advice. Hosted by Steve Larosiliere and Jennifer Alger
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