Pricing … it’s mainly about the wood

You may wonder why some pieces cost more than others given their size and appearance on our gaviaWOODWORKS shopping page. There are several parts in our costing formula. A few things have a pretty big impact on the end price. It mostly boils down to the wood – at the starting point and the end (price) point.

​All of our wood is found, salvaged or donated to us. [ A big THANK YOU to our friends and contacts! ] Sometimes we go pick it up. Other times, we have to get larger chunks milled or sliced into biscuits because we don’t have a machine for that in our workshop. As much as we love road trips, these add to our costs. Freshly cut wood takes 1-2 years to dry before we start working with it. We let this happen naturally. We’ve got some great pieces in the shop that we can’t wait to work on.

​There are different types of wood. Hardwood is generally more expensive. Compared to softwood trees, hardwood are the broadleaf and flowering trees that grow slower. As a result, the wood tends to be denser and harder and so harder to work with. That means cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing all take longer and use more effort, tools and supplies. That translates into a higher price.

Finishes can also affect the price. Some are quicker to apply and cure. Others involve several steps and must rest to dry and cure before being used. We use food-safe finishes on all of our cutting boards, serving boards, cheese boards and charcuterie boards. We generally don’t put finishes on the yard décor (like birdhouses and beehouses) so that they look and weather naturally. Epoxy resin pours have many steps, long drying times and are some of the most expensive of our materials.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about some of what goes into our handcrafted pieces and a bit about what happens in our shop.