Our Wood
Why indigenous and why salvaged?
We have such a wonderful variety of indigenous woods in South Africa. But their use has mostly been replaced by commercial plantations. So people have forgotten about the beautiful variety of our indigenous woods. Our products do not require massive slabs or beams, so we are able to once again showcase some of the rarer and seldom used species.
By using salvaged wood, we feel that we are being as Eco-conscious as possible. We try to use every last little bit of wood that we have. Which is also why I have such a diverse range of products so that nothing gets wasted. Anything that I can't make something with is returned to the bush where it can biodegrade. So overall everything we salvage gets utilized either by me or by the ecosystems around.
Even the sawdust and shavings is composted and used to germinate indigenous trees that I re-plant into disturbed veld or where I remove alien invasives in the area where we live.
berchemia zeyheri
Red/Pink Ivory. Rooi-ivoor.
One of the worlds rarest and most sought after tone and hardwoods (JN 14,370 N). Bright pink to dark crimson often with a waved or fiddleback grain pattern. It is extremely dense and not the easiest to work with. But it has an unrivaled finish and colour. Royal tree to the Zulu kings and queens.
combretum apiculatum
Red bushwillow. Rooiboswilg.
The wood is very fine grained, heavy and extremely hard (JN 12,001N).Overall colour of the heartwood is dark brown with some red and gold tints. Sapwood is a deep yellow to grey and contrasts nicely heartwood. The more aged the wood is the darker it becomes. The lighter sapwood often has lovely chatoyance in sunlight.
The wood and tree is more well known for its coals which can last well over 12hours. And it is mostly exploited for this reason, but we think it deserves more recognition for its beauty than braai.
dombeya rotundifolia
Wild pear. Drolpeer.
The wood is fine grained, solid and medium heavy. It has dark spalting like patterns where side shoots and injuries occured. Overall colour is varying shades of brown to pink with a slight golden sheen.