The terms hardwood and softwood describe the type of tree the lumber comes from—not necessarily how hard the wood actually is.

Hardwoods generally come from broadleaf trees such as oak, walnut, maple, cherry, and teak. Softwoods typically come from coniferous trees such as pine, cedar, fir, and spruce.

To compare the actual hardness of different woods, we use the Janka Hardness Scale. The Janka test measures how much force is required to press a steel ball halfway into the wood. A higher number generally means the wood is more resistant to dents and everyday wear.

For comparison:

• Teak: approximately 1,000–1,150 lbf

• White Oak: approximately 1,360 lbf

• Hard Maple: approximately 1,450 lbf

• Black Walnut: approximately 1,010 lbf

• Eastern White Pine: approximately 380 lbf

However, hardness is only one characteristic we consider when selecting wood. Stability, grain, appearance, weight, workability, and the way a species responds to changes in humidity can be just as important when building furniture.

Yes. We can build with teak when it is appropriate for the project.

Teak is well known for its natural durability, moisture resistance, and resistance to decay, which is one reason it has traditionally been used for outdoor furniture and marine applications.

However, high-quality old-growth teak has become increasingly limited, and much of the teak commercially available in the United States today comes from managed plantations.

Plantation-grown teak is often available in smaller dimensions, which can mean joining multiple boards together to create larger furniture panels. This isn't necessarily a disadvantage—the way boards are selected, arranged, and joined is an important part of building a stable solid-wood piece.

Teak also contains a relatively high amount of natural oils. Those oils contribute to its durability, but they can make gluing and finishing more demanding than with woods such as oak, maple, walnut, or sapele.

We'll discuss the advantages, limitations, availability, and cost of teak with you before recommending it for a project.

Once the design and specifications are finalized, we recommend planning for a turnaround time of approximately one month or more, depending on the size and complexity of the project.

The actual construction may not require the entire month. Before we begin building, however, we need time to source the right lumber and allow it to acclimate to the conditions in our shop.

Wood is a natural material that continually responds to the moisture in the surrounding air. When lumber moves from one environment to another, its moisture content gradually adjusts. As that happens, the wood can expand, contract, cup, twist, or otherwise move.

You may have seen a similar effect in newly constructed homes. As framing lumber continues to adjust to the home's heated and air-conditioned environment, movement can sometimes contribute to drywall cracks, visible fasteners, gaps, or other changes.

We don't want to rush that process with your furniture. Allowing our lumber time to reach an appropriate moisture content before machining and assembly helps us build a more stable piece that will perform well for years to come.

We source our hardwoods and woodworking materials from local lumber distributors and specialty suppliers in the Pacific Northwest.

In other words, we aren't walking into Home Depot and picking boards off the rack to build your furniture.

Our lumber suppliers specialize in materials for professional woodworking and furniture making. This gives us access to a much broader selection of species, grades, thicknesses, and board sizes, while also allowing us to select material specifically for each project.

Whenever possible, we purchase our wood and supplies through local distributors and business partners. From there, the material comes to our shop in Redmond, Washington, where your piece is built by us—not imported as a finished product and not purchased for resale.

First, we completely understand that ordering internationally can be a great option, especially if you already have a relationship with a craftsman whose work you know and trust. My wife and I have longstanding relationships with tailors in India and regularly have clothing made there ourselves.

Many of our customers come to us for a different reason.

Perhaps you've already explored ordering internationally and found that the process wasn't right for you. Maybe you couldn't find exactly what you wanted, weren't comfortable purchasing an expensive piece based only on photographs, were concerned about shipping damage, or simply wanted something different from what was available off the shelf.

That's where our approach is different.

When we build a piece for you, you become part of the process. We start by understanding your space, your requirements, your style, and how you actually plan to use the piece. From there, we can work together on dimensions, wood species, finishes, storage, decorative details, and other features.

For custom projects, you can see concepts and designs before construction begins, receive updates as your piece progresses, and at certain stages you're welcome to visit our shop and see it being made.

And because everything is built here in Redmond, Washington, you're not waiting for a finished piece to arrive from thousands of miles away hoping that the dimensions, color, quality, and craftsmanship are what you expected.

Our goal isn't simply to sell you something we already make. It's to work with you to create a piece that fits your home, your needs, and your traditions—and to make sure you know exactly what you're getting along the way.