Report from last Saturday, June 6, 2026 – Open House at Cropp Timber
Our annual Open House took place once again on our yard in Hamburg-Harburg.
After months of preparations, coordination with everyone involved and the final planning of many details—and with a lot of cleaning up and setting up in the last week leading up to the event—we were now looking forward to the highlight: the actual event and the chance to connect likeminded people.
The weather forecast promised pleasant temperatures of around 20 degrees and a few clouds. Perfect conditions for an enjoyable day.
The first question of the day is usually, “ Can I already get a coffee?” Starting at nine o’clock sharp, the coffee was flowing smoothly and right on time the first visitors arrived to get the best woodturning blocks from our display table.
Some might know: We collect special tuning wood pieces several months before the event and set them aside for the open house. These are then displayed on the table in the middle of our warehouse for browsing.
Tour:
In the warehouse of Building No 10, Thünen Institute’s table was the first one visitors encountered, where the topic of CITES came up frequently. Dr. Gerald Koch was able to answer questions and provide information to many visitors and processors of CITES-listed woods. On the opposite site Dr. Noldt displayed a wide array of examples of wood pests, alongside an exhibition by wood artist Marcus Meyer from Kiel. On display were pieces from his previous exhibition, ‚DIE LETZTEN IHRER ART - Bedrohte Tiere aus bedrohten Hölzern‘ and pieces from his more recent exhibition ‚WIND, SEGELN, GESCHWINDIGKEIT Aufbruch wagen‘.
Hermann Sträten had set up in the large warehouse on the left side of the entrance area; with a steady hand, he was working on his miniature works of art on his lathe. Many interested people watched the activity surrounding his lathe.
A few steps away, people were eagerly browsing through our planed short lengths, many of which were European wood species. This raw material is perfect for smaller woodworking projects such as shelves, cutting boards, or other creative projects, and every now and then, someone would walk out of the hall carrying a oard under their arm.
We also displayed longer boards and tabletops here, offering them for sale or simply to inspire and spark ideas. In addition, Kay Busch gave demonstrations of the Pytha CAD system—very interesting for crrpenters!
The miniature furniture by Sören Fahl next to Kay looked like something out of a fantasy movie: creative mini furniture woodwork crafted with an eye for detail, some of which even adapted to the natural grain or other features like cracks.
Holzwürmer Bergedorf showed a wide variety of crafted objects to admire and purchase. Birdhouses, insect hotels, tins, figurines, candlesticks, and pens made by the participants.
Next to him was Frank Jürges – “Traummesser” – with knives made of high-quality steel and stunningly beautiful wooden handles. His neighbor, Hartmut Titze, displayed several pieces showcasing his intricate woodturning artistry. One of his specialties is segment turning—a technique in which small wooden blocks are glued together and then turned into a shape. A very labor-intensive technique; he also brought and displayed dyed turned vases, some featuring delicate patterns.
Mirjam Poller, with a new brand identity—now known as FORMSMUK—brought her handmade, delicate wooden jewelry for customers to try on and purchase. A lovely station and the jewelry was beautifully illuminated.
Karsten Schöfisch offered wooden lamps, woodturning pieces and jewelry - primarily made from Banksia cones.
We placed a large redwood log on the yard, where visitors could guess its weight and win one of three Cropp gift certificates. The log weighs 3,130 kg. Most estimates ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 kg. The winners were already contacted by E-mail.
In the smaller warehouse No. 8a, Philipp Stadtmüller, HausDrei e.V., the Drechsler Forum and Svend Rauterberg were presenting their works in the cozy lighting of Philipps handmade wooden lamps.
At the Drechsler-Forum table, many people met and exchanged ideas. HausDrei showcased everything from cutting boards to bass guitars and furniture, as well as other high-quality works by the workshop’s contributors.
At Svend’s table, visitors could only be amazed by the precise and delicate artistic work of his pyrography—wood-burning with a pyrography pen—featuring many nature-inspired motifs.
The sawmill hall: Birte Müller-Wittkuhn, who displayed creative figurines, objects and furniture made from scrap wood, driftwood, and many other materials; visitors could gather plenty of ideas and inspiration from her.
Dirk Jahns could complete the variety in this hall with exquisite writing instruments, crafted from the finest precious woods; he also had tins and bowls in his collection!
Across the street, of course like every year was the snack, coffee, and cake stand.
In warehouse No. 9B on the left, making its debut this year: Drechselbedarf Schulte. There was always something going on here—no wonder, given the wide selection of kits, sets, tools, and helpful tips.
Next to them were Hans and Jakob Weissflog, who gave many live demonstrations at the lathe and were on hand to answer the many questions from visitors. Some exhibits created using complex techniques could also be admired here in their display.
You could hear Dirk Jungbluth playing his ukuleles and singing from a distance. He brought along several of his ukuleles, each made from different types of wood and thus producing its own unique tone. What makes this special is that you can build your own ukulele with him during a one-week course.
At Jürgen Kusel’s table, who is known for his palm stones, jewelry, and pendants people could purchase the perfect souvenir.
Peter Paul Ulrich presented knives; he forges the blades himself and, of course, crafts the wooden handles as well. You can take a blacksmithing course with him and make your own knife.
Next door, Ferdinand Bötel kept the shavings flying almost nonstop at the lathe, and Christoph Henke, with Naturhaus products, could provide the perfect finish. Visitors could get advice on products for cleaning, care, and surface sealing, and of course take a product home right away.
Our retail sales went very smoothly this year, with fewer lines forming at the registers. This was likely due to the fact that we’ve now labeled many of the woodturning blocks differently, which has made the checkout process significantly faster. It’s more pleasant for everyone and helps ease the hustle and bustle that usually takes place back there at the counter.
We are delighted by the positive feedback we received about the event, both from visitors and exhibitors.
Some of the comments we heard included: “It’s great that this event is one of the few that still exists.”
“It feels so good to be among so many like-minded people, and everything is so personal and rustic.” “A very friendly team and extremely helpful.”
All that remains is for us to thank you as well for a successful day, for your interest, for visiting, and for your purchases! A big thank you also goes to our exhibitors, without whom this day would not have been so lively, diverse, and creative, and of course to the entire Cropp team and everyone who contributed. We’re really looking forward to the next time!