Our commercially purchased lumber is Forestry Stewardship Council-certified. Whenever feasible, we buy lumber that has been locally grown, sawn, and kiln dried.
We’re glad to incorporate salvaged lumber, hardware, and cabinet parts (such as old doors) when practical.
We focus on domestic, not imported, lumber. Our veneer-core plywood is US-produced, which means it’s manufactured in compliance with EPA guidelines.
Non-toxic finishes available include milk paint, shellac, and oils.
Our finishes are hand-applied. We don’t spray lacquers, which means we aren’t venting overspray and solvents into the woods outside.
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We use minimal quantities of solvents, and we reuse them until they’re spent. Every few years, when we have amassed a few gallons, we dispose of them responsibly through a county-operated program, for which we pay a fee.
We recycle all materials that can be recycled—cardboard, paper, steel, aluminum, plastic…and we keep our solid wood scraps for reuse until they’re too small to warrant the shop space they occupy, at which time we save them to burn (in a properly vented, high-efficiency Jotul woodstove) for heat.
We compost our solid wood chips and make them available to other gardeners, as well as for animal bedding. (Yes, we do separate cherry and walnut from species, such as maple, that are safe for animal bedding.) Dust from the tablesaw is used to top up paths outside the shop.
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