Posted on

Wood Slabs Coming Soon!

     Well, looks like I have to start practicing my writing skills again and get this blog thang going. So, no better time than right now to let everyone know of our latest addition to our inventory: Kiln Dried Wood Slabs.

     We have the ability to get some really beautiful Walnut, Cherry, Maple and possibly other domestic wood in slab form. Many of the wood slabs will have the bark attached and mostly intact. Most of the wood slabs will be 2” (8/4 ) thick, but if requested can be thicker.

      I picked up a small (14” wide by 48” long by 2” thick) Walnut wood slab with live edges that will be going on the website very soon. I really want to see it planed up! Looks like it has some flame aspects on one side along with some spalting on one edge.

     Some of the walnut wood slabs that are immediately available are up to 12’ long and 2’ wide. All have bark or live edges without bark. Some have large knots that create an extension of sorts away from the main body of the slab. Plenty of flame aspect too. Some amazing pieces for sure.

     Anyway, we are introducing smaller pieces for the time being for a couple reasons. First, I want to see if you folks have any interest in pieces like this. And second, shipping large and heavy products is something I am just now learning about and want to do it correctly and not on a whim.

     In addition to Walnut, I have access to large (2” thick) Cherry wood slabs too. I might be able to get some slices and burls too.

     The cherry slabs are also beautiful and have many of the same attributes as the walnut: bark or live edges, flame aspects, knots, etc. All are 2” thick and kiln dried too. Sorry, I didn’t pick up a piece so I can’t post a pic right now. But, I need to know if you folks have any interest in pieces like this as well.

     So, in closing, if you are interested in the above or know of someone that may be interested, please pass along my name and send me a message so we can talk. We are growing and this is a next step for us.

     And as always, if you made something with wood you bought from us, please send us your pictures of the finished product and, with your permission, we would like to post it on our website. If you go there, you can check out some of the amazing projects people have made. I would be happy and proud to show the world your talent.

     All the Best!

     Michael Sansevieri

Posted on

Unique Wood Creations

Our customers make the most amazing things our of our unique wood. We recently had a customer purchase some amazingly figured Tiger Maple. When he finished his project, he sent us some pictures. He made a wooden box in the shape of a book for a baby. Last year another client purchased some Tiger/Ambrosia Maple. He too sent us some pics of a briefcase he made. Then one morning late last year, we received a message from a person in Norway. Norway? He wanted a piece, block really, of Tiger Maple. He is a wood carver. We were very up front with him about cost to send it, but he wanted it anyway. He sent us pics of the birds he carved out of this block of wood. An elderly gent in Wisconsin contacted me for some variety pieces of walnut, cherry and maple, which I cut and planed to size for him. He made this amazing cutting board that is 3D in appearance. You can see all these pics on our website. 
     Such amazing talent! We are always interested in what our clients make with the wood they buy from us and always encourage them to send pictures so we can promote the amazing gift they have been given. If you have made something from our wood, please send us some of your pictures. With your permission, we would like to post them on our website for the world to see. You have been given a gift that few people have and we would love the opportunity to let others see your incredible talent.
     I have often said that I should have been born a couple centuries ago because I am so techno-challenged. If I have a question, I call one of my kids. I call the computer my “Cycloptic Companion” (Austin Powers), and I call my phone a hockey puck. My thought process is this: if the computer gives me a hard time then I should be able to tell the damned thing what to do, right? After all, I’m the Human and I’m the one that’s supposed to be in charge of the machine, right? (One of my fondest memories when my son was growing up was when he and his buddy came over to the house to liquidate his friend’s laptop. We blew it to hell and gone with a potato gun. It was beautiful!).
     Having such technology has been a huge blessing for me because we can reach or have been contacted by people literally all over the world. None of that would have been possible when I was 30 or 40 years old. This technology has given rise to so many hidden talents because now there is a way for you to get noticed and be recognized for the gift of your talent: the gift of creating something beautiful and from your heart with your hands.
     My Dad always told me to learn a trade. As I became an adult and became part of the White Collar Hollar (the corporate world), I came to know and understand exactly what dad meant when he told me this. After another layoff, I started to use my hands to make a living. This lead to me making things out of wood and selling them through the internet. Eventually, I figured there are probably more than a few people out there that have this gift and this became the impetus for launching Specialty Wood Distributors, so we could be a source of rustic, unfinished wood for woodworkers, hobbyists and designers.
      This website is as much a venue for you to showcase to the world what you have made, with your hands and your heart and your creativity, and not just a site for you to get some of the prettiest and unique wood around. Go ahead and take that picture and send it to me. Let the world see the beauty you have created. You have no idea where this might take you.
     All the Best!

Posted on

New Website Announcement

Welcome one and all to my new website and conversation page www.specialtywooddistributors.com/blog.

     Seems like everyday someone hits me up with a question about wood, so I thought I would (wood??!!) start with a little background on how I got started and what my passions are about what I do.

     In grade school, they used to have various trades to teach young people how to do things. Wood shop, building construction, metal shop, small engine repair, home ec., etc. This was how I found a passion for wood working. I was given exposure to a wide variety of ways to create things and found I really enjoyed seeing what a piece of wood looks like after it was finished. It was also pretty cool to me that this former tree could be made into something I could use for years, even generations. 

     After grade school, they made me grow up. Damn. Why do people do that to kids? Anyway, I got a job at a lumber mill and learned all about how the boards were made and from what trees they came from and how when the Master Sawyer got pissed at me he would throw a running chain saw my way. Oh what fun. Oh yea, it was in the winter in New Hampshire too. Really fun stuff! Anyway, I got a beautiful piece of knotty white pine off the blade and made my first table. Coffee table with a live edge. This served as our coffee table for years, but is now “retired”.

     Each year I would gather a new machine and make stuff. So, fast forward and we no longer have a garage. As you can guess, its now my shop. So, because I have this “hobby”, I had to support it by getting a job in the real world. I don’t recommend it, but it was necessary to pay the bills. Then, “Oh, sorry, we don’t want you anymore” happened and I lost my job. I’m sure this has never happened to any of you too, right? People I knew (friends and family) encouraged me to sell the stuff I make. So, they helped me set up a shop on Etsy and the ride began. The day we got our first sale, about two months into it, was awesome! I look back on that time now and think, boy did that stuff really sell?

     So, here I am, now retired from the employee working world to taking a simple piece of wood and seeing the beauty that God created. So much more gratifying than the constant criticism of the daily grind. The enjoyment I get out of seeing what this wood looks like after it has been resawn, or after the final finishing coat has been applied, or hearing a client ask me about making something special and turning that special product into another product for our shop. 

     I think I inherited my Dad’s genes (and maybe that generation’s genes) regarding making things. My Dad was a part of the generation that went to war (WWII). When those folks came home, they had seen enough destruction and suffering, so they set out to build a life for themselves and their families, and in turn, build this country. I guess making things rubbed off on me. As we started seeing much of the products we use be made in other countries, I decided to make my own stuff, mostly because the stuff being made elsewhere sucked and I thought I could make it better. So I did. 

     This new website is a byproduct of that thought process and its also my dream. We sell unique and reclaimed wood for woodworkers, hobbyists and designers. I have been working with wood in some form or fashion for about 40 years and I never tire of seeing what the grain looks like. And, like you, I still have questions and am always learning, so if you do have a question or two, send it my way and I’ll talk about it and if possible, try and answer it for you. The amazing thing about this great club of wood workers is we always are eager for knowledge and are willing to try and help if we can. So, I hope you enjoy this small bit of history and I hope you spread the word about us and our new website: born of a layoff and rising to success. Taking lemons and making lemon aide! Enjoy!