When Larkin finally authorized a processing trial, he hired temporary laborers to break down barrels and stack the pieces. The workers had no background in wood conditioning, and the written instructions described the job mainly in terms of volume moved per day. They removed hoops rapidly, piled wet and dry material together, and did not establish a reliable record of which barrels had been exposed to what conditions. The stacks looked productive in photographs sent to the bank's board.
Within weeks, a portion of the wood began to twist and crack. Some pieces developed discoloration and decay after being left without adequate airflow. Others had been sanded aggressively to reveal bright wood, removing much of the aged surface buyers actually wanted. The laborers had worked hard and followed the directions they received; the system itself was wrong.
Larkin was irritated when the first prospective buyer rejected a batch. He called the material difficult and complained that craftsmen were too particular about a product they claimed to value. Another buyer asked for documentation of origin, inspection, and moisture condition. The bank could provide an inventory list and a foreclosure file, but little else.
The manager ordered better photographs and lowered the asking price. The next buyer took only a small quantity at a discount, then declined to reorder after finding unusable pieces mixed with good ones. Storage costs kept accumulating, and the bank's staff needed to devote time to a business they had never intended to operate. The decision that had sounded like a sure profit was becoming another expense.
During the same months Earl was receiving steady calls from existing customers. He knew the market was growing, but his stock was not limitless. Each original barrel could be sold only once, and each premium piece required labor and time before it deserved its price. He had begun discussing alternative supply sources with Leonard without committing to any large purchase.
He refused several lots that could not be traced reliably to their origin. Old barrels might have been used for things a furniture maker would not want in a home, and appearances were not enough to establish their history. Earl required documentation and inspection before bringing outside material into his premium inventory. He preferred losing an attractive bargain to risking every customer relationship he had built.
Walter and Ray sometimes teased him for being too cautious. "You'd inspect the sunrise before believing it was morning," Ray said after Earl rejected a suspicious load. Earl pointed toward a stack of clean, labeled material. "The sunrise doesn't arrive with a bill and ask for a refund."
By the ninth year, the workshop had become an ordinary feature of life around the Whitaker farm. Pickup trucks came down the drive with shipping crates, buyers arrived with tape measures, and the smell of worked oak mixed with hay and diesel. Visitors sometimes expected an impressive factory and found instead a practical group of sheds kept orderly by three aging men who took their work seriously. Some buyers were disappointed until they examined the stock.