BackStory Woodworks
Welcome to our site!
The materiels in every hand turned pen and every unique pair of wooden and antler earrings has a BackStory.
Our materials are:
River Wood, Barn Wood, Spalted Wood, Salvage Wood and Deer Antler.
Barn Wood is any wood that we have salvaged from old buildings, many of which are well over 100 years old. Many of these old barns are timber frame construction. Where the beams and posts join they are held together with wood pins. We often use the pins to make pens and earrings.
This is a cross section of one of the River Wood logs shown on the Home page. The iron (steel wasn't yet invented in the 1830's) pin was driven through the logs to hold the dam together. The tannic acids in the oak caused the iron to turn the wood a blue-black color that diminished with distance from the iron. The numerous tight growth rings are indicative of virgin timber. At the time this tree was cut in the 1830's it was already 200 years old.
The range of colors in the River Wood varies according to proximity to the iron pins. All of these pieces (above) came from the same block of River Wood. They are blanks used to make pens.
This box is made from Spalted Wood. Spalting is a process that usually begins after a tree dies. Different fungi begin to break down the wood fibers resulting in black, brown and grey lines giving the wood a marbled appearance. The breaking down process stops when the wood is dried.
Many of our products are made from Salvage Wood, like this cherry log. This tree was dead for a year before we cut it. Salvage Wood can also be something like a pile of milled lumber that someone stored in a building that was not part of the building's structure.
A bolt action bullet pen and earrings made from Deer Antler
At BackStory Woodworks we feel the story is about our products, but just as much about the materials we use. Our products are hand made from wood and other materials that we have collected from a variety of sources for over 35 years. Most of our one of a kind pens and earrings are made from recycled wood collected from old buildings, purchased from individuals and salvaged from dead or dying trees. Our antler products are made from shed antlers and other legally acquired antlers. The most amazing backstory is about the River Wood from Stonewall Farms.
Our materials are:
River Wood, Barn Wood, Spalted Wood, Salvage Wood and Deer Antler.