Craftsmanship Archives

Why You Should Choose White Pine for Your Next Woodworking Project

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Jeff Easterling

Sculptors, millworkers and other craftspeople creating finely detailed projects in wood often choose Eastern White Pine over other species. Here’s why.

Among the most widely used species for construction in the United States, Eastern White Pine is unique because it’s a softwood with an extremely fine texture, but low resin content compared to other pines and softwoods – so you won’t have nearly the same problems with sticky messes on your workbench or tools. It has a straight grain and even texture, so sculpting tools push through it like butter. It also glues together well.

As it ages, Eastern White Pine takes on a prized pumpkin tone on the outside, but maintain a creamy white interior. That contrast gives wood carvings depth, even when you don’t stain them.

Whether you’re building a custom mantelpiece, a birdhouse or a whittled sculpture, your best chance at success comes with practice, getting to know the wood and working with its characteristics. Choose high-grade (C-select) wood with minimal pin knots and uniform color and let the wood acclimatize in your home or shop for a few weeks.

The wood’s soft nature means it can be crushed instead of sliced if your tools aren’t sharp, so keep an eye on them, and clean the blades or cutters as needed with a nylon bristle brush dipped in solvent. If you create a small unwanted dent in the work process, place a damp cloth over it and cover it with a hot iron for a few seconds to fluff up the fibers.

Check out some more tips for finishing Eastern White Pine, along with some of these cool creations:

3 Woodworking Craft Projects You Can Make with Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine Houses for Feathered & Furry Friends

Hyper Realistic Sculptures Carved from Eastern White Pine

Life-Sized Canoe Sculpture Made of a Solid Block of Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine Shines: Wunderwoods Custom Woodworking

Philadelphia Exhibit Showcases Women in Woodworking

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Jeff Easterling

Erin Irber

On display at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia now through January 18, 2020, “Making a Seat at the Table: Women Transform Woodworking” showcases the work of 43 women artists from throughout North America. The first exhibition of its scope, this show shines a light on the skill, innovation and creative vision of women working in what remains a male-dominated industry.

The show includes examples of the artist’s finished work, but also demonstrations of their woodworking processes, which is pretty cool to see. The curators aim to highlight the unique perspectives women bring to the world of woodworking, each one colored by their own cultures and histories.

Gail Fridell

“All over the country and in all kinds of genres, women are making fantastic work in wood. Understanding that the field has historically been dominated by males, this exhibition intends to showcase some of these women, to show the breadth of the current field of woodworking, and how these makers are both expanding the edges of the field and holding down the center. The exhibition will present a diversity of objects, made with a diversity of intentions—from small-batch products to one-off works, representing a range of technical approaches and scales.”

“Pieces included in this exhibition will reference an approach to woodworking that is rooted in questions of craft, use, the body, and domesticity.”

Kristina Madsen

A book of the same title is due to be released when the exhibition is complete in 2020. If you can’t make it to the exhibition in person, you can find the websites for most of the woodworkers featured in the show at the WomenWoodworking.org website.

Bostonwood: Sustainable Wood Furniture Made of Eastern White Pine

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Continuing the centuries-long tradition of classical New England craftsmanship, Massachusetts furniture maker Bostonwood offers unfinished real wood furniture products made of Eastern White Pine. All of the furniture is built locally, with the workshop located just a few miles from the retail stores, and use sustainable materials grown in the region.

“Being an environmentally aware company we proudly produce our products using eastern white pine which is harvested from sustainable sources in New England,” says the company. “Each of our suppliers is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council, an International non-profit group that supports responsible forestry management. This means you can rest assured that the piece your are purchasing is not the result of irresponsible clear cutting forestry such as many of the import hardwoods in use.”

Bostonwood even donates the sawdust created by its tools during the furniture making process to local farms for bedding. They also recycle the small pieces of wood cut off from the ends of large boards for things like step stools and small drawers, or give them to local elementary schools for craft-making.

Raising Backyard Chickens: Eastern White Pine Coops & Nesting Boxes

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Eggs never taste better than when they’re plucked from right beneath a hen in your own backyard, moments before cooking. Raising chickens is fun and rewarding, and requires less money and maintenance than many other pets. If you’re on the path to producing some of your own food or simply enjoying the friendly personalities of these feathered friends, you’ll need a chicken coop and some nesting boxes.

Clark Farm offers chicken coops that are just as cute as cabins and cottages made for humans, complete with gambrel-style roofs, dutch doors, brass hardware, opening windows with screens and a number of other features that vary with each model (pictured top). The colors can be customized, so you can create a hen house that matches your own. They’re hand-crafted in Connecticut using high quality Eastern White Pine.

Also made with Eastern White Pine are the coops offered by King’s Berry Farm, which have a simpler and more open design including roosts, nesting boxes, a sliding hen house door and a large clean-out door. Jamaica Cottage Shop, which builds full-sized cabins and cottages by hand in Vermont, also offers a range of coops and nesting boxes that will stand the test of time.

Raising Backyard Chickens: Eastern White Pine Coops & Nesting Boxes

Posted on May 31, 2014 by S.A. Rogers

Traditional Craftsmanship Meets Modern Furniture with Notched Designs

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Creating wooden furniture that fits together without the need for glue is a longstanding tradition across all sorts of cultures and styles, requiring a high level of craftsmanship and skill. Traditional woodworking joinery, like dovetails, tongue-and-groove and mortise-and-tenon, can be even more durable than joints that rely on fasteners and adhesives.

Some modern furniture makers are returning to these traditions for beautiful, high-quality products that still have a fresh, contemporary feel. Designer Ania Wolowska named the ‘Ban Table‘ after famed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, known for his ingenious buildings and other structures that fit together using similar techniques.

The table is specifically designed to bring attention to these joints, highlighting their beauty. Says the designer, “In this method of construction, pieces are put together with a basic technique that uses wooden joints, producing a highly pleasing table with excellent stability.”

The table is collapsible for easy packing and transport, reducing its environmental impact. It’s handmade by master carpenters in Bacalar, Mexico.