When it comes to wood, selection is everything

Pictured above: Desk in Solid Claro Walnut. All the pieces for this desk were cut from the same large slab.

Something you may have noticed is how beautiful the wood grain in antiques is and assumed all the good wood is gone because that beautiful grain is seldom seen today. This is not true, there is plenty of amazing wood to be had, with phenominal grain and depth. But production furniture and cabinet shops don't select for figured wood because it's more difficult to match and find enough of in larger quantities and it takes an artisan/craftsperson to work with it.

Today most furniture and cabinetry is made using extremely thin veneers 1/20" to 1/32" thick. With this lack of thickness, it looks flat and has less depth than beautifully figured solid wood. The thinner veneer will not have the luminescence and will not patina the same as a thicker veneer or a solid piece of wood. Damage to these thin veneers is difficult, if not impossible, to repair, while the thicker veneers and solid woods will last lifetimes and become more beautiful with age.

In my workshop, for big jobs and small, I hand select every board for color, figure, grain, and density. I sometimes look through hundreds of board feet of lumber to find a single exceptional board for a project. I will even buy and store wood for future projects if I run across some unusual wood with great beauty. As a rule I only work in solid hardwoods, but if the job requires a veneer, I will re-saw my own, from solid boards, to 1/8" thick.

I have been buying wood for over 45 years. I am constantly on the search for the perfect color and figure and grain, for the rare woods that are extremely difficult to find, or for the phenomenal pieces of lumber with live edges or a beautiful burl. For me, the true talent of the furniture/cabinet maker starts with the selection of the wood.

Pictured below: Door with hand-carved Koi fish, Solid African Mahogany. The grain was selected to give a feeling of flowing water.