About Us
Ben Visser, The Heartland Maker, started wood working in college at Iowa State when he was in need of furniture for his apartment but didn’t want to buy cheap particle board furniture. Instead, he made all his furniture at his parents’ house with his dad, who introduced him to wood working. All of the pieces they made that summer are still in use at his house.
After college, Ben worked as a sports reporter for the Cedar Rapids Gazette covering Iowa State Athletics, but that didn’t scratch his itch to make things. He changed career paths into real estate to serve the Ames community more closely. With the career change, he needed to provide closing gifts for his clients, which was the perfect built-in excuse to make more things — whether it was cutting boards, valet trays, wood bowls or he has even made tables for clients.
Ben’s real estate clients are the ones that convinced him to bring his work to market and he began selling at the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market and grew from there. He takes great pride in the quality of work he produces, both in wood working and real estate.
If you have any interest in having something made, or you’re in need of real estate services in Ames or the surrounding communities, contact Ben below.
About Our Finishing Process
The Heartland Maker uses 100% Pure Tung Oil for his cutting board and wood bowl finishes. Tung Oil is a natural, food-safe drying oil. Because it’s a drying oil, as it cures, it bonds to the wood fibers in the board to provide long-lasting protection unlike mineral oil, which is commonly used. Mineral oil never dries, so every time the board or bowl is washed, more oil should be reapplied. Tung is much hardier and will survive being washed. Mark Spagnolo, The Wood Whisperer, made a video about the advantages and durability of Tung Oil compared to other commonly used food-safe finishes, which I’ve linked here.
For Tables, I use a water-based polyurethane. Poly is a durable finish that can withstand scratches, bumps and nicks and because it’s water based, it brings out the natural beauty of the wood without discoloring the wood.
