Friday, May 25, 2012

Summer of...


This is not the summer of shows as we have none scheduled until August. It is also not the summer of rest, as we have been selling a good deal of our inventory at shows and from our website. This is the summer of labors of love as we restock our inventory. This means experimenting with new combinations of woods, revisiting old favorites, making more outrigger boxes, that seem to be popular, and refilling our inventory with humidors that completely sold out!

Since everything is made by hand in our workshop, by the two of us, each one takes a bit of time to put together, but we assure it's quality that way also.

Remember that 10% of every internet sale of our boxes goes to support Children in Distress.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Wood of the Month: Zebrawood


The wood of Microberlinia (also known as Zebrano) is imported from central Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo). The heartwood is a pale golden yellow, distinct from the very pale color of the sapwood and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black. Zebrawood can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. It is almost always quartersawn to get the exciting alternating color pattern.

It is a heavy, hard wood with a somewhat coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grain of this wood, like that of many tropical woods, can make it difficult to work. It is also a decorative exotic wood, used in a limited way for veneer, wall paneling, custom furniture, furniture trim, inlay bandings, marquetry, specialty items and turnery. It is also sometimes seen as stocks of handguns or in exotic guitars. In the past, it was used in Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Because of its hardness, it can also be used for skis and tool handles.