Drumroll please….

I am very excited to announce and share with you the launch of my NEW website. After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

The main goal of the new website was to provide online ordering that was user-friendly and easy to navigate. The website is full of features that include additional product information, size selection and engraving features, user can enter comments when ordering, rotating images, promotional codes, create an account, product reviews and more.

On the new website you will find a few new products that include wooden bowls, new cuttings board designs, trays, serving boards, additional hand mirror designs, and gift cards!

Below is a picture of my new Kitchen Board that I make with cherry and maple or walnut and maple. This is the perfect size board for chopping, cutting cheese, fruit, slicing bread, cold-cuts, serving sandwiches or for serving charcuterie at your next family gathering or party. This board has a leather loop for hanging on the wall. To allow the board to lay flat on your counter or table it has a routed slot for the leather loop.

Be one of the first to sign up for FREE shipping and exclusive offers that will be emailed to you!

Did I mention? with the new website I have a new logo. My friend Kate designed this logo for me! With the new logo I am still using the same tag line promoting my work, “Handcrafted Heirlooms Lasting a Lifetime”.

⭐️ I want to thank Kate for working with me,  all her help and support, working her magic and bringing my ideas to LIFE! She was awesome!  Please visit Kate’s Instagram page @primal_kate 

Please visit my new website and let me know any feedback (or bugs that need to be corrected) We can’t wait to hear what you think!  Click here MichaelsWoodcrafts

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Food Presentation Boards

In January of this year I started making these food presentation boards in Walnut and Oak as a prototype to see if they would sell. I only made two of these in a medium size board. It wasn’t long before I had customers asking for engraving on the handle and other sizes.

The above is the medium board in oak with engraving on the handle. I received a nice order from Ava’s Kitchen in New Jersey. Attilio is the owner, never been there but their pizza sure looks delicious! Attilio had purchased pizza boards from three years ago and was still following me on Instagram. When he saw my post on these he emailed me and gave me a nice order with engraving.

I designed a small board, above picture compares the small board (left) to the medium size board. Most of my orders are for Walnut wood.

Who doesn’t like Pizza?!!  I made an extra large board that will easily hold a 12″ pizza for myself. I use it all the time when I make homemade pizza. A local pizzeria owner had purchased boards from me before and when I showed him this new board he purchased a bunch of them to use in his restaurant.

These boards are great for serving anything, above are french pastries from our local french pastry shop in downtown Greenville. Their pastries are to die for!

One of my customers sent me an email with pictures of her homemade cinnamon rolls on the extra large board!

These boards can be used for serving food, charcuterie, pizza, etc. If you have a family gathering or parties this is the perfect food tray for you! It will be the talk of your party!

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Making a Recessed Wine Bottle Stopper

Happy Friday!!!

It’s been awhile since I last posted and I miss everyone!! I’ve decided that I am going to try and post once or twice a week!

One of my most popular items are the wine bottle stoppers I turn on my wood lathe. They are very unique because they are recessed, meaning that the cork is on the inside of the wine stopper and can not be seen wen the stopper is on the bottle.

I can up with this design 20 years ago when my wife mentioned to me that the wine stoppers I was making were too tall.

A recessed wine stopper has the cork inside and slides over the bottle neck. The couple pictures above are a good example of how they work. You can not see the cork thru the bottle, all you see is the beautiful wine stopper!

 

The colors resin colors are endless, between the Maple burl and the colored resin, each wine stopper is unique. It’s virtually impossible to make two wine bottle stoppers with the same colors!

I start by creating a hybrid blank which I make using Maple burl and colored resin. I cut the piece of maple burl and place it into a square mold and the pour in the colored resin. In about 7 days it is dry and is ready to turn. I really like using the Maple burl, you never know what colors and grain you will see once it is turned.

Then I will mount the blank to the lathe and start turning. Here are a few pictures of the process.

 

 

Once the wine stopper is turned and while still on the lathe, before applying the high gloss finish there is a lot of sanding to do. I will sand starting at 150 grit then 180, 220, 240, 320 grit all the way to 12,000 grit.

I like a high gloss finish, in order for me to get the high gloss I apply 40 to 50 coats of CA finish while the lathe is turning. CA is the short name for Cyanoacrylate glue, super glue.  I apply a few drops of CA to a paper towel and while the late is turning I apply it to the stopper. Then I spray is with a accelerator that dries it instantly. I do this 40, 50 times or more until I am happy with the finish. Once the CA hardens it is very durable.

 

After the finish is done, I will then, buff an polish the stopper by hand. Then I mount the cork. It takes 24 hours for the glue to dry from installing the cork, then is it ready to use!!

 

A wood turned bottle stopper is a great accent to a good bottle of wine.  I enjoy making my recessed wine bottle stoppers!

To see more pictures visit my Gallery of Wine Bottle Stoppers, click here

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Engraved Catchall Trays

I have been making catchall trays for only about 2 months now. Since then I have made over 200 trays with “custom” engraving, many different sizes and another 80 that were ordered with one of my already engraving designs.

Above is my “I love you” catchall tray, this one is 6″ X 6″ square and 5/8″ inside. I originally made this one for a shop in Blowing Rock, NC but it has become very popular.

The above tray was a custom engraving order, they wanted a 3D heart in the middle with engraving on the heart. I have also engraved monogram letters on the heart for others.

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

 

 

Wood Catchall Trays

I recently started making Catchall trays. Each tray I handcraft from a solid piece of walnut. They have beautifully rounded corners, sanded perfectly smooth and then the bottom is engraved with various designs. My wife using one to keep her watch and rings in everyday.

The catchall trays are great for holding small items such as glasses, watches, rings, earrings, thumb drives, car keys, coins,  cell phone & charger, paperclips, thumbtacks, etc., the list is endless. It keeps all those everyday handy items within reach. They make great gifts!

The pineapple engraving takes a long time to do but this one is very popular along with the engraved honey bees!!

The trays are 8″ long and 4″ wide and I currently only make them using solid walnut.

 

I can also engrave the bottom surface with a special message!

Engraved Tiger paw!

The above Catchall tray has a carved bottom.

The tray with Live, Laugh, Love was a custom engraved, special order for a customer that was a gift to a friend. Now that I have this one set-up I can easily repeat this engraving.

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Honey Sticks

Above: walnut wood honey sticks

 

I have started making my Honey Sticks again in Walnut and Cherry wood. New design plus engraving. The holes are honey cone shaped and adding engraving makes them unique and special. I can also do custom engraving for you if you like!

These Honey Sticks work great for dipping honey!

Purchasing my work is Simple, click the SHOP NOW button below!

 

Above: Cherry wood honey sticks

 

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Check out my Honey Sticks, click this link;  Honey Sticks

 

Below: Walnut catchall trays

 

 

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

Purchasing my work is Simple, click the above image or the SHOP NOW button below to be directed to my website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Walnut

I am always looking for unique material to use in my shop. Black Walnut is my favorite and most of my customers love Walnut. I sell more items made using Walnut than any other wood. I was able to land this stack of Walnut, these are Black Walnut live edge slabs.

I purchased all that the lumber mill had, six pieces, wish they had more but I was a little late. Each piece is 7 foot long, 5/4 inch thick and ranges from 14 to 18 inches wide. As you can see it’s all very beautiful. The moisture content of these boards is very high, around 14%, so I would be able to make anything with these for about 6 months.

Do you like Black Walnut? What is your favorite wood?

Enjoy your evening!

Do you have an Instagram page? If you do please let me know, I would love to visit your page! Here is the link to my page: Michael’s Woodcraft Instagram

Check out my handcrafted Honey Dipper Sticks!

Handcrafted Ice Cream Scoops!

 

Walnut Slabs

Home

I had time today to check a few boards for nails. After cutting a couple boards to shorter lengths I ran them thru the planner. A couple passes thru the planner on each side was all I needed to do to get the boards planned.

If you missed my previous post about this walnut, check out the before pictures in my previous post from yesterday, Wood Gloat and now the after pictures in this post.

I was very happy to see what I had, great color, light and dark browns, a little black streaking and red streaking with cream color running down the edges. Beautiful colors, grain and character too!

I wiped a little of tung oil on one of the boards to bring out the colors, I can only believe that the remaining boards will be just as good or better. I am very pleased and super happy with what I found, just excellent!! This walnut will be excellent for a nice piece of furniture.

My wife took one look at the walnut and also thought is was very beautiful and then asked me to make her a new stepping stool. I made her a stepping stool many years ago using red oak which she uses in the kitchen all the time. So my first project will be making my wife Debbie a new stool. This afternoon I sketched out three designs for her to look at but she is having a hard time deciding which one she likes the best.

So, I’ve decided that I will post my process of making the stepping stool from start to finish which will be in multiple post. My first post will be coming soon!

My Work

Click picture below to link for more information about my cutting boards!

      

Wood Gloat

Home

Ok, I’m not generally one to gloat but my chances to gloat are very far and few between. Plus this is too good not to share. Who would drive two hours one way for a board? I would! I did and I am glad I did! I managed to score 200+ board feet of air dried walnut. Boards are all 5/4 inch thick, and are 8 inches to over 16 inches wide.

Anyways…I just wanted to share a few shots of the live edge slabs of walnut I brought home yesterday.

Once I check the boards for nails I will run them through the planner. All of this walnut lumber will be dark brown in color with pretty grain quality and nice figuring. There are a couple pieces that have a nice crotch with a lot of figuring.

Next project will be to run these though the planner. I can’t wait to get started and see what comes of these beautiful boards! I will post again soon with pictures after getting a couple boards thru the planner.

See a few of these boards that were ran thru the planner, Walnut Slabs

My Work