Most of what Phil and Martha make comes from a short list of woods, and most of those have been in the shop for thirty years or more. All of it was sourced responsibly. What is on the bench at any given time depends on what is in the stack and what the current run of boxes wants, so not every wood is available for every piece. Where a listing in the shop offers a choice, those are the woods we can cut right now. If you want something you do not see offered, write to us and ask.
Domestic hardwoods
These come from the forests of North Georgia, Western North Carolina, and the Southern Appalachians, and they are the backbone of the work.
Cherry. Starts a warm pink-tan and darkens to a deep reddish brown over a few years in the light. Fine, even grain. The wood most people picture when they think of a Baerreis box.
Walnut. Chocolate brown with darker streaks and a soft sheen when it is finished. The darkest of the domestic woods, and a favorite for drawer pulls on lighter boxes.
Silver maple. Pale cream, sometimes with a faint figure in the grain. Takes a smooth finish and shows off the shape of a box without competing with it.
Ambrosia beetle maple. Maple that the ambrosia beetle has been through, leaving gray and tan streaks and small dark spots along its path. No two boards look alike. The Penelope on the bandsaw box page is cut from it.
Honey locust. Golden to light brown, dense, with a lively grain. Less common, and striking when it turns up.
Butternut. Also called white walnut. Lighter and softer than black walnut, with a warm tan color and a satiny surface.
Sassafras. Light golden brown, with a coarse, open grain like ash and a faint spicy smell when it is cut.
Imported woods
A few boxes and hair forks are cut in imported woods, chosen for color. These are from older stock in the shop and are offered only while they last.
Sapele. An African mahogany, red-brown with a ribbon figure that shifts in the light. The Onward and Upward on the bandsaw box page is cut from it.
Zebrawood. Tan with bold dark stripes.
Padauk. Bright red-orange when fresh, settling to a deep red over time.
Bubinga. Reddish brown with fine dark lines, heavy and hard.
Purpleheart. Brown when cut, turning purple in the light.
Canarywood. Yellow to orange with red and brown streaks.
Cardinal wood. A deep red that holds its color.
Pau amarello. Clear, bright yellow. Also sold as yellowheart.
How the wood is finished
Boxes get Phil and Martha’s own blend of oils and waxes, rubbed in by hand, which brings up the color without a plastic film on top. Kitchenware and hair forks are sanded smooth and finished by hand. The color you see is the wood.
See the woods in use on the bandsaw boxes, puzzle boxes, and hair forks pages, or read about Phil and Martha.