You will need to enter your address on the check out page.  If the total weight of your items is less than 30 Kg or 66 pounds (which is the maximum weight that Canada Post will deliver) you will have the to choice of local pickup, making alternative arrangements, or one of several Canada Post delivery options.  Canada Post shipping includes $100 insurance coverage. If your items weight more than 30 Kg after entering your address you will have the choice of “Local Pickup” or “Customer will make alternative arrangements”.  Alternative arrangements include arranging your own courier or contacting me to discuss other delivery options.

For shipping within Canada, GST and HST is calculated according to the province you live in and will be itemized on the check out page.  For shipping to the USA there are no taxes collected on the check out page but duties may be applied at the border.

Please do not assume that all the product on this website is low moisture.

I prefer to use wood that has seasoned naturally over a longer period than kiln dried wood using heat.  I feel that kiln dried wood is less vibrant and less pleasant to turn than seasoned wood.  Many turners prefer green wood for interesting distortion effects or for pre-turning prior to final air drying.

Because of that I have wood in all stages of drying so do not assume that all the product on this website is low moisture.  A discount of up to 30% is built into the price of high moisture inventory.  The price is adjusted up as a blank dries.  You can find the latest moisture reading along with the date it was taken in the product description.  If you are interested in buying a blank that has not had its moisture content updated recently you can contact me for a current reading.

Depending on the moisture content and other factors a turning blank may be partially or totally covered with sealant when you receive it.  The sealants that I use are paraffin wax or Anchor Seal 2, find the MSDS information at this link.

Prior to taking pictures in some cases I wipe the surface of the wood with mineral spirits to give a better sense of the color and figure that could be expected in your finished product.  Pictures are often taken when the wood is fresh and green which gives the clearest picture of grain and figure.  Dried product will look quite different with sealant, mildew, oxidation all affecting the superficial layer and look of the wood.

I use a digital photograph editor to clean up the background, resolve lighting issues, and white balance using the background to give the most accurate color possible but it is still dependent on your monitor or device settings.

The blanks are only roughly finished so they may have blemishes like bandsaw marks, hand planer tracks, etc, that can be mistaken for either figure or defects.

The fungi that is responsible for spalted wood is more like the mushrooms that you put on your pizza than it is like mold.  When you are sanding spalted wood keep in mind that the wood dust are mush more allergenic (causes allergies) and carcinogenic (causes cancer) than the fungi spores in it.  Wear a mask when dealing with wood dust.

When I categorize blanks regarding figure or spalting I do it to make it easier for you find what you are looking for and for me to grade the blank.  Grading is based on the percentage of surface area being figured or spalted etc.

If you like the look of a particular blank but the size or shape is not right for you let me know and I can cut it into smaller pieces or turning rounds.  The cost of custom shaping will depend on the job but once I hear from you what you want done I will give you an exact amount for your approval before starting.  If I cut your chosen blank in half only to find a beautiful burl that I didn’t expect, or on the other hand, a huge defect that wasn’t seen from the surface, the price of the original blank will not be adjusted.

All prices are in Canadian dollars so you can take advantage of the favorable exchange rate.  To abide by Canada Post guidelines, certain items are not visible if your IP address shows that you are located in the USA.  Specifically worm/beetle damaged wood, wood with bark inclusions, and certain protected species are not visible or available for shipping to USA.  At this time I don’t sell or ship internationally other than USA.