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Thread: Anyone familiar with IRONWOOD DESIGNS, INC? The AK wood place?

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    Senior Member tank_monkey's Avatar

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    Anyone familiar with IRONWOOD DESIGNS, INC? The AK wood place?

    I was friends with the owner, Matt. He suddenly passed away. Heart attack while on a boat with friends.

    With the pandemic, he lost his helpers, so he was running the biz solo. He had to stop taking order because he was backlogged so far. Anyone know of a good forum to post the sad news? I know a lot of AK and AR owners had custom wood orders from him.

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    Administrator imanaknut's Avatar

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    WOW! Really saddened to hear this. I talked to Matt many times, always a pleasure to talk to and never in a hurry to hang up.

    I hope someone can pick up his business but yes it was pretty much a one man show.

    DAMN!!!!!!!!!

    Just checked and their website has been taken down.

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    I know they did quality work. Got a laminated AKM stock set years ago.
    Don't Let the Bastards wear you down. Gen Joseph "Vinager Joe" Stillwell.

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    A lot of people on these sites bought his wood.............

    https://www.ar15.com/forums/ak-47/

    https://www.theakforum.net/

    https://www.akfiles.com/

    https://www.gunboards.com/forums/ak-...ssion-board.8/

    That's a shame. He made the best AK wood there was.

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    Guns Network Lifetime Member #2

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    That sucks so bad. The first AK I built I used Ironwood. I'm sorry for the loss. It's a loss for everyone.

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    Senior Member NAPOTS's Avatar

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    that is sad to hear, I bought a stock set from them a few years back and the quality was top notch

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    Senior Member tank_monkey's Avatar

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    For anyone who may have met Matt in person, he wasn't some old obese gun guy, like the guys we're used to seeing at the Gunshows. He was tall and athletic. He was an avid skiier, snowboarder, windsurfer and his passion was SURFING. I always joked to him that he was like 'a tall Jason Statham". I think the real RISK is that athletic and fit guys don't visit the doctor often enough He's now the 6th guy I know who was in great athletic shape who just passed due to heart failure.

    He leaves a young wife and a 6 yr old daughter. I'll be trying to help out the family with the arrangements this week.

    I'm also trying to figure out what will happen to all the stock of wood furniture left at the shop. There are literally HUNDREDS of sets of AK, FN FAL, etc wood sets all lined up in boxes. I don't want the ANTI GUN mayor of San Jose to sweep in there and junk all of that stuff.

    Another thing is that he had a fantastic computerized C&C automated wood carving machines, all set up for Firearms stocks. I hope that those machines are not junked or seized by the landlord.

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    Guns Network Lifetime Member #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by tank_monkey View Post
    For anyone who may have met Matt in person, he wasn't some old obese gun guy, like the guys we're used to seeing at the Gunshows. He was tall and athletic. He was an avid skiier, snowboarder, windsurfer and his passion was SURFING. I always joked to him that he was like 'a tall Jason Statham". I think the real RISK is that athletic and fit guys don't visit the doctor often enough He's now the 6th guy I know who was in great athletic shape who just passed due to heart failure.

    He leaves a young wife and a 6 yr old daughter. I'll be trying to help out the family with the arrangements this week.

    I'm also trying to figure out what will happen to all the stock of wood furniture left at the shop. There are literally HUNDREDS of sets of AK, FN FAL, etc wood sets all lined up in boxes. I don't want the ANTI GUN mayor of San Jose to sweep in there and junk all of that stuff.

    Another thing is that he had a fantastic computerized C&C automated wood carving machines, all set up for Firearms stocks. I hope that those machines are not junked or seized by the landlord.
    I'm surprised he didn't prepare for the turnover in his business if he died. This is a business that sells itself for a new owner. Was he in debt?

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    Senior Member tank_monkey's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1 Patriot-of-many View Post
    I'm surprised he didn't prepare for the turnover in his business if he died. This is a business that sells itself for a new owner. Was he in debt?
    Prepare? How does he do that? No one (in this area of the country) wanted that business. We're in the idiotic "everyone work for the Tech giants and drive PRIUSES" region of the USA. He was a rare breed in a really BLUE state. There are surprisingly FEW people who want to take on a custom hand made business. He worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week. There are NOT a lot of young guys who actually want to do that. He was not in debt. In fact he paid off all of his capital equipment already. He was backlogged for orders going 6 months. At least he didn't have to deal with the massive increase of wood prices....

    He had trouble finding assistant wood carvers. Apparently there is a shortage of SKILLED laborers in certain markets (and in certain REGIONS like silicon valley California). I told him over and over again to get help, but he kinda procrastinated on that, saying that it took too long to TRAIN someone and he tried once and the helper screwed up dozens of customs wood stocks by sanding them the wrong way.

    As per your question about debt. I don't know how that relates to him being prepared to turn over the business. He was a relatively young guy. I know he was hoping to have a SON in addition to his daughter. I think his long term plan was to have a son to pass the business along to. But he wasn't in debt. He was pulling in a LOT of money every quarter. He was a workaholic, though I think. stacking away the cash to prepare for his kids future.

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    Team GunsNet Platinum 02/2015 davepool's Avatar

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    Unexpected death is hard no matter how well you've prepared. My wife's youngest brother had a successful remodeling business in boston, they specialized in medical facility remodels. He had 6 guys working for him when he got covid and died. His wife had to close down the business and struggled hard the last year to bring it back. Mike did have a son to pass his business on to, but he couldn't handle the loss of his dad ( he wasn't allowed to see him before he died) got into drugs to ease the pain and died of an overdose last week.

    so yea, some shit you can't prepare for, you just have to deal with it, i hope things work out for your friend

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    Team GunsNet Silver 03/2014 sevlex's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by tank_monkey View Post
    He's now the 6th guy I know who was in great athletic shape who just passed due to heart failure.
    I wonder if he got the vax.

    He certainly fits the profile for adverse reactions.
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    Senior Member Oswald Bastable's Avatar

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    I'm sorry I never heard about this company or this guy until now...I would have ordered from him for sure. My heart goes out to his widow and daughter in this awful time.

    In the event there is inventory that comes up for sale, I'd gladly buy a set or two to help his family out.
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    Quote Originally Posted by tank_monkey View Post
    Prepare? How does he do that? No one (in this area of the country) wanted that business. We're in the idiotic "everyone work for the Tech giants and drive PRIUSES" region of the USA. He was a rare breed in a really BLUE state. There are surprisingly FEW people who want to take on a custom hand made business. He worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week. There are NOT a lot of young guys who actually want to do that. He was not in debt. In fact he paid off all of his capital equipment already. He was backlogged for orders going 6 months. At least he didn't have to deal with the massive increase of wood prices....

    He had trouble finding assistant wood carvers. Apparently there is a shortage of SKILLED laborers in certain markets (and in certain REGIONS like silicon valley California). I told him over and over again to get help, but he kinda procrastinated on that, saying that it took too long to TRAIN someone and he tried once and the helper screwed up dozens of customs wood stocks by sanding them the wrong way.

    As per your question about debt. I don't know how that relates to him being prepared to turn over the business. He was a relatively young guy. I know he was hoping to have a SON in addition to his daughter. I think his long term plan was to have a son to pass the business along to. But he wasn't in debt. He was pulling in a LOT of money every quarter. He was a workaholic, though I think. stacking away the cash to prepare for his kids future.
    You prepare by having a will or living trust. You prepare by having life insurance if you have a family. In your will or living trust there are instructions to turn the business over to your heirs, what debt's what assets, who to pay who owes the receivables ect. . I'm not denigrating the guy. It's a fact a high majority in this country don't even have a will or instructions for their heirs no matter how little or big the estate is. That was my question/comment. He had bokuu business obviously by the orders and your description. It will be a bitch to watch all the assets get eaten up for cheap or simply abandoned.. Debt has a lot to do with the worth of the company and whether it will be viable for an heir or other entity to take over. I despise seeing small companies become defunct because there was no preparation. We all die, some young and some old. You build up a business from nothing to something, you best be prepared. How big is his manufacturing plant?
    Last edited by 1 Patriot-of-many; 06-15-2021 at 12:01 PM.

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