(FAQ)
Do you use locally sourced wood?
Generally, yes…I use woods that are as locally sourced as possible. There are some limitations depending on what my local distributors have in stock, and for local wood I’m limited to the species native to the Northeast US, so anything made with “exotic” woods like ebony would include imported species of wood.
Why do some products have such long lead times?
Other than small items that are made in batches, I don’t usually keep furniture or large items in stock. I start working on orders as soon as possible, but if I’m already working on a project, or have several already scheduled, it may be a while before I can begin your project.
Further, it’s important that wood be dry and acclimatized to the temp/humidity of my shop before working with it, otherwise you can experience severe warping. For that reason, I like to let wood sit for at least four weeks before working with it.
do you use ‘food safe’ finishes?
While this can be a long and involved topic, the short answer it yes. Effectively, all modern finishes, once completely cured, are food safe, and I choose finishes that are appropriate for the intended use. I don’t use any finishes that have toxic ingredients such as lead.
Are your products hand made?
“hand made” can mean a lot of different things to different people. I have a small shop and everything I make is constructed with both traditional hand tools and power tools. While it can be a romantic notion to flatten a board entirely by hand with a jointer plane, a power jointer can do in minutes what it takes many hours to do by hand. That frees up a lot of time to work on projects.
Still have questions?
Visit the Contact page and send me a note.
Does wood fade/change color over time?
Absolutely. The nature of the change can be different across wood species, but with only a few exceptions, wood will darken over time, especially when exposed to sunlight/UV light.
- Cherry:
- Cherry will darken to a deep brown color. See the example at the right, where the shelf had a book sitting on it which blocked the sunlight from the wood underneath it, while the rest of the shelf was exposed to sunlight. The change in color over the first nine months can be substantial.
- Maple:
- Maple starts light and bright and over time will darken to a deep honey color.
- Walnut:
- Walnut is the odd one out in that unlike maple and cherry, walnut become lighter and takes on a rich honey color which extenuates the grain.
- White Oak:
- The color of white oak is one of the most stable in that oak experiences very little color change over time. In general the golden tones become slightly richer over time.
