Products We Use
We believe the impact of small, cumulative efforts can, in fact, be quite large with enough attention on the small details. We are guided by this mindset as well as our respect for the environment when we choose the materials and equipment we use.
It is through this effort that we aim to produce quality products, through sustainable means, that will last through time.
Lumber
The heart of our business is, of course, the trees. This is why we make efforts to protect and preserve them by purchasing our lumber from responsible sources that follow green practices. The most common woods we use are Hard and Soft Maple, Black Walnut, White and Red Oak, Cherry, Poplar and Red Cedar, all of which are local to our Blue Ridge region of the Appalachian Mountains.
Are you looking for something truly unique? Yes, we can and do work with other woods. For the most highly customized look, let’s talk about the rarest options too… the wormy chestnut or heart pine planks reclaimed from local farms or factories, the 5’ wide ambrosia maple slabs from James Madison’s Montpelier, or other rare and exotic woods.
All of our lumber is professionally cut from quality logs and either air-dried or kiln-dried to meet the requirements for of each project. We purchase from the following suppliers of local hard and soft woods to meet the variety of needs, all of which follow FSC or similar sustainable forestry practices:
Sheet Goods
Within our line of work the two types of sheet goods we use are mdf and plywood. Mdf is an acceptable choice for project goals are more budget budget oriented, but only when there is no chance is could come in contact with water. For most of our projects we use furniture and cabinet grade plywood when sheet goods are specified.
These types of plywood are highly refined and engineered, and produce high-quality results. For a short, interesting history of plywood and more technical information explaining the many benefits, visit “A short history of plywood in ten-ish objects.”
For the best sheet goods we can get, we buy from:
Hardware
Having a large impact on both aesthetics and fuction, the hardware is a detail that can give your custom furniture or cabinet project a very unique and personalized look. Consideration should also be given to long-term function of high-wear items such as hinges and slides.
We want the hardware to last as long as the rest of our work, so we buy from quality manufacturers including:
Finish
With as much time that goes into the design and fabrication of each project, we want to know that the finishing products we use will provide equally long-lasting results, providing protection that will keep each piece looking its best.
In addition to that, a core value is to maintain an awareness on environmental impact, and so we’ve adopted finishing practices that use no- and low-voc finishes for nearly all of our projects.
We’ve selected the following for their responsible business practices and quality products:
Equipment
While we find equal appreciation for and curiosity about the old-world methods and equipment, these things don’t meet the demands of the modern woodworking shop. We can say, however, that we both agree with and follow the same traditional philosophy that it is better to invest and maintain quality equipment than it is to dispose and replace of lower grade options. We’ve found that skilled woodworkers with quality equipment produce the best results.
Because we understand the quality of the end product is only as good as the quality of the equipment it was produced on, we use tools and machines from manufacturers such as: