About Woodworx

It started as a six foot by six foot potting shed on the back corner of my property for tool storage matched with a 10 x 10 fit “pop up” canopy with two sawhorses and an old door for a workbench. The tools consisted of a 8” tabletop table saw, a borrowed thickness planer and all my leftover tools from my days as framing contractor and a finish carpenter. I made a couple of pretty cool projects underneath what we started calling the “Big Top”. The shed was an awesome location shared with a family of skunks and a wasps nest, so it was time to move on.

We needed to grow! We had just finished a new garage workshop on our 1921 property and it seemed like a good fit. So we now have 500 square feet and weve updated our tool to a 10 table saw, a bandsaw, a 12” thickness planer and a few other odds and ends and clamps. More clamps and even more. You can never have enough clamps! For me, the collection of Stanley Bedrock and Bailey hand planes that I had always dreamed of. Starting with the first #4 Stanley plane bought at Fedco in Pasadena in 1977. There are a lot more and my oldest is from 1890. It’s “cozy” with all the machines and tools and workbenches but we make it work. Did I say clamps? Yes, always more clamps.

A new larger shop you ask? Well, maybe,,,maybe someday.

We use all kinds of woods for our projects and Id like to share a little information with you. The first is “live edge” or “living edge” as it is called by some. This term simply means that at least that edge follows the natural contours of the wood itself. We use live edge on our large Charcuterie boards and on some table tops. Live edge is also popular for bar tops and some larger tables. “Slab” boards are simply boards made from one piece of wood. “Glue Ups” are boards that have multiple pieces of either the same variety or different varieties for contrast.

Hard wood vs. Soft wood. Hard woods are what are used primarily for cutting boards due to their durability over constant use. Soft woods can be just as beautiful as hard woods, however are not as durable for things such as daily cutting or chopping.

In all our boards we use combinations of hardwoods. Charcuterie boards and live edge serving boards are usually made of Black Walnut, Maple, Cherry or Olive wood. ‘Glue up” boards are made from a variety of woods. Black walnut, Maple, Cherry, Hickory, Oak, Purple Heart, Peruvian Walnut, Padauk, Limba, and others.

Our most popular wood used for boards are probably Black Walnut and Maple. The majority of our one piece slab boards are Black Walnut and glue ups are Maple and Black Walnut with other varieties added in.
For me personally I love the traditional glue up Maple Boards with a juice groove on larger boards and no juice groove on smaller boards. For furniture making I love quarter sawn of or cherry. Most pieces that I build for my self are cherry wood, as I love the tight straight grain and warmth of color and that it takes stain evenly. Or maybe it is because the first piece I built in high school was cherry ! 😉