Trees and tables made in Rhode Island
Buying furniture can be confusing and difficult. Often times this is because we dont know where to begin... Building furniture here in Rhode Island gives us a great advantage because we are able to locally source our lumber, meet with clients, and deliver our pieces without much travel.
Here at Hopes Woodshop we pride ourselves on making sure that we are sustainably harvesting local trees. This means we primarily use trees that may have come down in a storm or were yard trees that were dangerous for homeowners and their homes.
6 months ago I received a phone call at 7am from a friend that the Sugar Maple tree was coming down in front of her home in Providence, RI. I jumped out of bed and rushed to see if I could save this log from being firewood. As you can see from the photos below, I was successful!
We work with a local Sawmill in Coventry RI, that take these trees and mill them into usable lumber that we can build our furniture with. Once the lumber is milled, the drying process begins. This takes anywhere from 1-2 years until the lumber has reached its optimal moisture content of 7-10%. Below are photos of the stickering and stacking process.
In 2 years we will begin hand selecting boards from this pile to become furniture. What they will become? Only time will tell...
To learn more about wood movement and moisture content please check out "Understanding Moisture content and wood movement".
Check our these links for more information:
Giving back
Hopes Woodshop giving back to the local community in Pawtucket RI. We worked with BVCAP Youthbuild to teach their students about woodworking and sustainability.
BVCAP Youthbuild
Starting in March 2013 Hopes Woodshop was asked to participate as a volunteer organization to help educate the participants of the Blackstone Valley Community Action Programs (BVCAP) Youthbuild program. I didn't hesitate, and accepted the responsibility of meeting with these students every Wednesday for the next 9 months.
Hopes Woodshop was just getting off the ground. We had our first real shop, a collection of used machines, and just enough to make it work.
Sometimes in life you need to take a leap of faith and trust that your doing the right thing. Even though it was hard, money was tight, and we struggled I had faith everything was going to be alright.
And once I was able to start really teaching and educating the students something in me clicked. I realized that the time I was spending with the students was the most important piece for me and them. We were forging a relationship based on our interactions with one another.
There was a profound message that I received after working with this group from Youthbuild. That message was "go out and do your best to educate the local youth with whatever you can and however you can. It can be something as simple as making an ornament that they can give to friends and family.
During our time together they:
- Learned the techniques and process of building tables
- Built cutting boards and ornaments
- Learned how to flatten and square up boards
- Built tops for desk donations
- Learned how to install vinyl replacement windows
- Visited the sawmill to see where our lumber comes from
It was a great time and we look forward to seeing each and everyone of them finding success now that they have finished the program!
Sliding barn door made from Black Walnut
Sliding barn door made from Black Walnut. Custom installation for home remodel in Rhode Island.
The first post...
For those of you that have worked with us in the past, you have noticed we have a new website. For those of you who haven't worked with us, this is exciting!
We will be showcasing our work on this site that is complete and those pieces that are for sale. So please be sure to bookmark our site so you can keep an eye on our design.
Stay tuned for more in 2014...
Cheers,
Marc