Art material sources...

I wasn't sure where to post this.

I am a woodcarver. I love to make things...especially useful things. I make bowls and spoons, tool handles and such. I was wondering where others get their raw material. I get a lot of mine from firewood guys. I got a load of pure walnut wood last year just for asking...at firewood prices...that's right...I got a whole truckload of unsplit walnut in 3'0 lengths just for asking..cost me $75.00 bucks.

I just stopped the Asplundh dude coming through my neighborhood. I am looking for a specific wood...catalpa. Some folks call it coffee tree and some call it cigar tree. It is a wonderful wood to carve. Most of my kitchen measuring spoons are catalpa...especially my coffee spoon.

I like to make things that people will use and will last a lifetime. My spoons and forks and such are usually made from oak or cherry. Oak has the unique quality that it does not freak out and fall apart from extreme temperature changes...you can take a spoon and stir your boiling spaghetti noodles and stick it right into a bowl of ice water and it will not affect it...i love that! Also, wood utensils...called "treenware" do not scratch non stick surfaces....

I sell my crap on ebay and craigs list. If you are interested in getting some lifelong stuff...drop me a line...

otherwise...just curious where our other creative folks find their raw materials...

That's really cool!

I'd like to do more crafting, but my garage space is limited. I don't live too far from farmland, so I imagine I'd try contacting some local farmers first to see if they have any wood or metal to spare. There are also several junkyards around here for automotive parts. There's always the risky option of cutting down a tree in a shared forested area, just gotta be careful not to do so in a protected forest preserve.


On a side note, could you PM me more info about your treenware? I'm interested to buy some for gifts.


EDIT: I'm leaving now for work, but I'll reply when I get home tonight.

reply to post by Jeremiah65


You ever think of contacting lumber mills?
That might be a step in the right direction.
Or looking up furniture manufacturers.

reply to post by grey580

The only prob I have with some of the furniture folks is that they do not seem to care about sustainability. They are working with resources in a way that is alien to me.

We have a problem.
There is some very attractive wood in the south American region that is just beautiful....they do not care how painful the harvesting is going to be....that is bad.

I hope we can get people excited about the alternatives. We..right here in America...have some astoundingly wonderful woods....can we get folks to see that?

I am a walnut guy...I think it is as wonderful as chocolate syrup..it is awesome.


The world we know is changing.....all we casn do is adapt or die....i know what I am going to do...do you?

reply to post by Jeremiah65


But to directly answer your input, most lumber mills work in "common" wood...aka...oak, poplar and pine. It's rare to find a common mill working with walnut, butternut, cherry, locust, apple, peach, catalpa, etc. I found it's easier to get the more unusual woods by talking to firewood cutters and the tree trimmers...they are pretty indiscriminate...when a tree needs trimmed or dropped, they do it. Sadly, if you are not on their list, they will chip and mulch everything.

I hope to hear more from others...I'm always looking for new ideas and sources...

reply to post by DaTroof


When I get a chance. I sold out my last batch of stuff and don't have much more than the patterns I use. I'll drop you a message when I have some stuff stockpiled. I generally make for a month or two and then take pictures and put them up as available...I've been really busy with my "real world" work...I work in construction engineering so the hobby has been on the back burner for awhile.

Maybe you could contact any local orchards that you may have, they might have cherry wood scraps after pruning their trees. They make great smoker chips too, as well as the apple chunks. Good Luck!