Local Business Profile – PS Wood Machines

PS Wood Machines Owner Barbara Peters never dreamt that her interest in a wood crafting machine would lead to a thriving business and result in her breaking ground in the primarily male woodworking industry.

“I bought a scroll saw (a crafting machine) and took classes so that I could get a better understanding of it,” said Peters. “I got to know one of the salesmen who led some of the classes and one day at class he told me that the manufacturer of the saw I was using was going to discontinue making them. So, he wanted to know if I’d be interested in going into business with him to take over production of scroll saws.”

Peters agreed and took over the management end of the business while her partner traveled to trade shows demonstrating and selling their product. After five years, her partner moved on and she had to undertake the job of going on the road to demo and sell the saws.

“I had to pull up my bootstraps and keep moving forward because I was left with a lot of debt and needed to make sure that our business thrived for the sake of my family,” said Peters, who then traveled the country doing trade shows demonstrating and selling her products for over 20 years. “I was extremely nervous at first, I didn’t want to let my family down. My kids were aged 16 and 14 at the time and my husband held down the fort at home while I was on the road. All of this scared me to no end because I didn’t want to lose the money I invested, so I pushed myself to listen, learn and put one foot in front of the other and tried to not look back.”

Peters would travel Thursdays – Sundays from fall to spring.

“It didn’t matter what the weather was, I had to be set up for the trade shows and be ready to go. I would drive to shows anywhere east of the Mississippi and fly to those west of the Mississippi. Whether driving or flying, the weather was a worry for me each week. And I hired people around the country to help me set up, so making arrangements with them was also part of the equation. I’d talk to about 1,000 people at the show and Sunday night I’d pack up, travel home, and get ready to go on the road again Thursday.”

She continued this schedule for years until shortly after turning 60. Now 73, Peters said those years enabled her to step away and reap the benefits.

“I probably worked 36 – 40 shows a year and sometimes we had two per weekend requiring more personnel,” said Peters.

“I do miss my customers…but it was long days, hard work and I was tired at night, But I did make a lot of friends around the country and still keep in touch with them.”

In the early days, women would walk up to her booth and be surprised that she was the one demonstrating woodworking.

“I was one of the few women in the industry when it started; now that’s changed and I’d like to think that I had a hand in that showing

women that they can do woodworking too,” she said.

Business growth over the years

When PS Wood Machines opened in 1994, they started with scroll saws, then later in 1997, band saw blades were added to their product line. Now PS Wood Machine blades have become popular and are known as premium blades available in over 70 stores across the country; they also have a local distributor in Canonsburg – Woodcraft Supply.

Peters’ children, Beth and Brad, are now officers of the company. Beth is president, Brad is vice president and she is the CEO.

“I still come in at least three days a week, but they’re pretty much running things these days,” she said. “My daughter began working with me part-time at age 14 and she traveled with me for two years after high school. From there she went to the Art Institute and came back to work for me after she graduated. Now she designs our full color catalog (printed by Bethel Park Printing) and website. Brad began working with us at age 23 and oversees all of our product production.”

The company currently has five employees.

“We import castings and assemble them here in Bethel Park and turn them into scroll saws; the steel for the band saw blades comes from Sweden and is made of Swedish silicon steel,” said Peters. “We were very busy during covid, but now we’ve discontinued production of our scroll saw for a time as we’re making some changes to it before we get back to production very soon. Band saw blades have become our mainstay at the moment.”

Over the years, the company has grown most from word of mouth more than anything else.

“That’s not surprising to me because of our good quality product,” said Peters. “A good product and equally good customer service are two of the most important things to grow a business. If customers are happy, they’ll spread the word and that’s worth more than paid advertising.”

PRODUCTS/SERVICES

• Scroll Saws – Come in varying sizes described as a crafting machine. Can cut thicker or thinner wood, glass, acrylics, and more. Ranges in price from $500 – $3,000.
• PS Wood Super Sharps Scroll Saw Blades – $9.95/dozen (The price has never changed since they opened.)
• Timber Wolf Band Saw Blades – $20 – $100/ea.
• Band Saws – $500 – $3,000
• Patterns
• Band Saw Accessories
• Craft Items
• Intarsia (creative artwork) – They carry 150-200 patterns from Canadian Intarsia Artist Garnet Hall.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Visit pswood.com for their full product line. Customers can also call Peters for product advice or email her at the contact information below. They can also visit their dealer, Woodcraft of Pittsburgh, at 102 Four Coins Drive Ext, Unit 3, Canonsburg, 15317 or call 724-916-4403 or visit www.woodcraft.com.

 WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE BETHEL PARK RESIDENTS TO KNOW?

“We couldn’t survive without the Bethel Park Post Office; they’ve been so kind to us and have helped us so much with our business. Every postal worker has been wonderful; I can’t say enough good things about them,” said Peters.

The company also supports several charities: The Veterans Freedom Center, in Debuque, IA where veterans meet and work with wood to keep their hands and minds busy; the Bethel Park Blackhawk Relief Fund; and the Bethel Park Girls Softball Association where they’ve sponsored a team for about 20 years.

“We’ve also been a small underwriter for a PBS woodworking TV show, ‘The American Woodworker’ hosted by Suzy and Scott Phillips; I love the fact that Suzy wasn’t a woodworker at first. She was a flight attendant. And now she’s learned from her husband and is a big part of the show. This is another good example of someone I admire who has the same history as me working their way into the woodworking world,” said Peters.

FINAL NOTES

“I really like this quote by Charles Brock – Woodworking is the way to connect heart, hand and mind using one of nature’s wonderful resources and give it new life,” said Peters. “I really feel that’s what woodworking is all about.”

To demonstrate that, Peters would take a 2×4 and cut a reindeer from it in front of tradeshow attendees and they’d be amazed.

‘I’ve cut thousands over the years and people still tell me that they have them!” she said. “And I still do woodworking now but for the fun of it not because I have to. The pattern for that reindeer is free on our website.”

Peters and her husband Bill also celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary last week.

“On the actual day, it hit us that 50 years is a long time! And, I’ve been in business 30 years, more than half of my married life,” said Peters. “Everything I did over the years and not wanting to fail pushed me forward and it all worked out in the end. It took our entire family to get to this point in my life. It’s been a regular family affair!”

CONTACT INFORMATION

PS Wood Machines

3032 Industrial Blvd., Bethel Park 15102

412-831-5402

Email:  saws60bp@gmail.com

Website:  pswood.com

Hours:  8 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Monday – Friday