And that would be Edensaw Hardwoods in Port Townsend, Washington.  Port Townsend is about an hour and a half drive and ferry ride to the Olympic Peninsula, northwest of Seattle.  It’s a picturesque part of the state, and a pleasant enough trip so Kris and Peggy Tzu decided to join me.

The variety and selection of domestic and exotic hardwood there is truly staggering.  Because Port Townsend is an entry port about 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the selection of exotic species is usually better than that of domestic woods, and the prices are usually comparable, if not better.  Today, we bought wood for two identical tables from Christopher Schwarz’ latest book, The Anarchist’s Design Book.  I decided to make one from quarter sawn white oak, and the other from African makore.  Makore is similar in color and texture to mahogany, and Edensaw has a selection with beautiful waterfall figure.

The lumber gets delivered on Monday, but I have another couple of projects that I need to complete first, so I’ll cut it all to rough dimensions and let its moisture content equilibrate to that of my shop for a week or so before I get started.

Stay tuned,
Tom

Ps.  The forklift drivers in their warehouse have to be the most skilled of any I have ever met.  This guy danced this load of well over a ton of wood, valued at thousands of dollars, around the floor with less than an inch to spare on either end, and more than twelve feet up in the air.  I stopped breathing there, for a just a moment or two.