Wood Selection

Do you care where your wood comes from?

As much as possible I use FSC certified wood.  The Forest Stewardship Council has a set of standards by which they certify that wood is sustatinably harvested and managed through the entire chain of supply.  I buy from yards that are FSC certified, although my shop is not, due to the cost.  I get most of my wood from Northland Forest Products in Kingston, NH, and from Forest Products Association in Greenfield, MA.  Northland Forest Produces is FSC certified, and Forest Products Association is in the process of getting certified.

The Joys of Discovery

Choosing new woods is always interesting.  When I did the Curly Maple table, I found out that curly maple changes direction of its grain without warning every 5-10 inches.  This makes for challenging planing and scraping.   I enjoy working in native species and have not pursued exotic tropical woods.  While most of what I show on these pages is in Walnut, Maple and Oak, I am excited about working the whole range of woods, as long as they are sustainably harvested.