Hand Crafted. Every Step of the Way.
Selection
Every project at Wilson Woodworks starts with sourcing the correct wood. Only a true craftsman can look at a tree, run his hand over the grain, and let it tell him what it wants to be. Since the majority of our lumber is felled and processed in house, certain woods are available that are not readily available on the market. Our most common woods are several varieties of oak, hickory, American elm, pecan, red cedar, and mesquite. Wilson Woodworks also sources sustainably harvested exotics as needed such as purple heart, cherry, cocobolo, mahogany, maple, and walnut.
Pictured: Massive burls saved to be sawn at a sawmill.
Preparation
Once trees are felled they are allowed to rest and the ends are painted to slow the internal drying of the wood. When they are ready they are slabbed and stacked for further drying. When the wood has reached the correct moisture content it is then cut into lumber or sized correctly for the project. The lumber felled by Wilson Woodworks is slowly air dried, not kiln dried.
Pictured: Custom Spalted Hickory Mantle.
The Finish
When our pieces are completed they are sanded, scraped, polished, and buffed to achieve final results. Wilson Woodwork only uses non-toxic food grade finishes we make in house on our cutting boards. You can purchase them here. For our other projects we will choose a finish that will work well for the intended use of the project. Ease of maintenance is one of our guiding principals.
Pictured: Micheal chopping out a joint in a Red Oak board.