About our handcrafting process
I spend a long time picking the individual pieces of wood I am going to use looking for individual features in the wood or striking patterns in the grain. But whereas I have settled on particular combinations of woods, Ash and Sapele, Beech and Paduak and Maple and Walnut because the woods are readily available and allow a consistent range to be on offer all the time I also enjoy the discovery of random pieces of wood which will make a very individual one-off piece. These make up my ‘something different’ collection.
Wherever I am in the country I look out for local sawmills and spends many happy hours searching through the off-cut sheds looking for bits of wood that may be unusual or have an interesting history
Every board is carefully finished and tested against a known machined flat metal surface to ensure that all our boards leave our workshop perfectly flat on both sides.
There are too many woods that I have come across to describe here, woods that delight in such names as ‘Australian Black Bean’ or ‘Tree of Heaven’ for example, but I have listed here the woods I work with the most often and why I work with them.
Ash
Ash is a UK hardwood and has a most lovely and distinctive grain with two very marked colours which makes it ideal for combining with a wood such as Sapele. When finished, the darker colour in the grain of the Ash almost matches the finished colour of the Sapele.Beech
Beech is another UK hardwood with a long tradition in furniture making. The wood has a very fine grain and on very close examination, almost has a speckled finish. Beech itself often has a pinkish tinge that is brought out when the wood is steamed.
Using timbers carefully selected for their natural pinkish tinge, coupled with Padauk, the two colours contrast and yet complement each other perfectly.
Oak
Probably the best known and possibly the finest of all UK hardwoods, English Oak shows more character than other oaks, often having distinctive patterns in the grain and when cross cut, as it often was for older pieces of furniture, the grain is further enhanced by the patterns of the medullary rays.
Maple wood
Maple is very closely related to the native English Sycamore, but whereas the Sycamore is a very attractive wood with a grey speckle running through the background, it also quite soft and not suitable for chopping boards. Sorry to say I have to use Canadian Maple, which is much harder. Additionally Canadian Maple has a wonderful creamy finish which contrasts so well with the rich darkness of Walnut. It is the wood combination I first discovered and still think of as the classic contrasting combination.
Padauk
I was astonished when I first cut into a piece of Padauk. Freshly cut it has the same bright orange colour as a freshly cut carrot. Once finished it matures to a rich ruby red and is a natural pairing with the pinkish tinge of Beech.Sapele
Sapele is often used as an alternative to Mahogany with colours ranging from light pink to a real rich mahogany reddish brown. Carefully selected and finished the rich colours reflect the darker grain colours of our own Ash. Side by side each wood really brings out the beauty of the other.Walnut
Often with reddish, golden or black highlights, Walnut is really the most beautiful of all woods and easily stands alone, but paired with Canadian Maple each wood really brings out the beauty of the other and forms a stunning combination which will always, in my view, remain the classic pairing.PurpleHeart
Purpleheart I use rarely, simply because of the extraordinary cost of the wood. It is however an exceptional colour. The heartwood, as its name suggests is naturally and deeply purple, and contrasts beautifully with the natural yellowish colour of English Oak.
Customer Review
Excellent Quality and Design – Highly Recommend This wooden chopping board has quickly become one of my favorite kitchen tools. The craftsmanship is solid—well-balanced, smooth, and made from high-quality wood that feels built to last. It handles daily chopping with ease and doesn’t slide around on the counter. I also appreciate that it’s easy on my knives and simple to clean with a quick wipe and some oil now and then. Overall, it’s a practical and good-looking addition to any kitchen. Definitely worth it if you’re looking for something durable and well-made.