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Everyone once in while
a person comes into my life who stands out
from
the rest. Every once in a while I meet
person with experiences, accomplishment,
talent, integrity, community spirit and a
sense of humor who makes me think "Hey, what
a
great guy."
Omri Millul, owner of The Woodchucker is
such a person.
Although I've known Omri and his wife,
Karen, for over 15 years, having
interplayed with them at various public
gatherings and occasionally socially, I
hadn't really gotten to know him until I
began creating this Woodchucker website
for him.
The thing which stands out most about Omri
is his ever present persistence for
excellence and attention to detail. He has
been demanding, in a pleasant and low-key
fashion, for perfection in regard to his
website. But, more importantly for home
owner, architect, contractor or builder, I
can say that he applies that same
attention to detail and quest for
perfection in his own profession of
woodworking and
fine furniture construction.
I can only hope that my attempt to present
The Woodchucker within this website
does justice to the beautiful workmanship
and fine woodwork that exemplifies what
Omri Millul does in his
profession.
A brief
profile of Omri Millul
 Childhood and travel
Omri Millul was born in Israel and grew up in
a kibbutz. He attended an agricultural school
learning bee keeping and dairy farming. He has
always loved to work with his hands. During
the 1973 Yom Kippur war with Egypt, Omri
served as an Israeli Army tank commander who
pushed to within 50 kilometers of Cairo during
that war. A few years after the war, in 1976,
Omri had that youthful wonderlust which
brought him to the United States.
He and two friends traveled 'east to west,
south to north' around the States and Canada
in a van. They slept in the van, cooked on a
two-burner Coleman stove, at campgrounds
around the country, and ultimately, he ended
up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania out of money
and very much in need of work.
"I did all the grunt
work but I learned the trade."
As with many successful people, Omri started
at the bottom sweeping floors. A friend got
him a job in a Philadelphia woodworking shop
during the week. On weekends, at another shop,
he worked for free to became proficient at
stripping furniture for refinishing. As he
described it "I did all the grunt work but I
learned the trade."
Because he loved to work with his hands, but
lacked formal education in design and
blueprint reading, he took a number of
semesters of drafting and interior design and
other related subjects at the prestigious
Philadelphia College of Art.
Woodwork shop
foreman
After a few years he became shop foreman at
the Philadelphia woodworking shop.
Unfortunately, the owner of the shop went
bankrupt and he went to work for another shop.
In 1985, one of the people he worked with at
the original shop approached him to start
their own woodworking shop. They stayed in
business together until 1989 when his partner
moved away from the Philadelphia
area.
Along the way Omri and Karen got married and
bought a house in Fortescue, New Jersey which
they used as a weekend get away. In 1990, Omri
opened his own shop at its current location in
Cedarville, NJ and they moved to their house
on the Delaware Bay full time.
"I like to see
it all come together."
When asked what part of the woodworking
business he likes best, Omri's immediate
response was "I like to see it all come
together. To take a raw material and make
something beautiful and functional. Something
that you enjoy looking at. That's what I like
best about the business. That's my favorite
part. I enjoy doing the working, making
things, more than I do running the business.
"They need to
understand that it is a process."
When asked what suggestions he can give a home
owner regarding the first things they can do
for a custom project, he said "They need to
understand that it is a process. A project
doesn't get built over night. It takes time as
the process develops."
"Each wood has
different characteristics."
Omri has often said that every job is
different; every customer has different
desires and each wood is different. "Each wood
has different characteristics. Some types of
wood have better characteristics for different
functions. Each job must be considered for its
own purpose. The hardware, the joinery and the
finish is as important as the type of wood."
"People need to
do homework."
"People need to do some homework. They need
to ask lots of questions. They need to read a
bit. People need to look closely at the
hardware. Often metal and plastic is better
than just metal. How drawers are attached is
important."
"They need to
consult an expert."
"People need to talk to professionals with
good reputations, professionals they can trust
and whose works they admire. Timely deliveries
which meet the schedule of the contractor or
home owner are very important. I take pride in
never having been penalized for lateness of
delivery. I don't bump customers and I deliver
when I say I will."
Community Service
In addition to being the owner of
The Woodchucker, a custom woodworking shop,
Omri Millul is a member of the Fortescue, NJ
fire company; he is a member of the Fortescue
Water Rescue dive team and a member of the
Fairton, NJ fire company. Omri has
participated in dozens of water rescues and
fire company operations. Omri is an instructor
level II in the Cumberland County Fire
Academy.
He cares about his community
as much as he does his superior
woodworking.
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