The Art of Seasoning Timber

There's a reason antique furniture survives centuries while modern pieces warp within years. The secret isn't in the joinery or the finish--it's in the waiting.

When a tree is felled, its wood contains up to 80% moisture. Use it immediately, and you're building with a ticking time bomb. As that moisture escapes over months and years, the wood shrinks, twists, and cracks. Every joint loosens. Every surface cups.

This is why we season every piece of timber that enters our workshop. It's also why we turn away clients who can't wait.

Freshly cut timber has a moisture content (MC) of 60-80%. For furniture making, we need to bring this down to 8-12%--equilibrium with a typical heated home. Get this wrong, and disaster follows.

Wood remembers. Every stress, every rush, every shortcut--it will express them eventually.

Traditional air drying takes approximately one year per inch of thickness. A 2-inch oak board needs two full years before it's ready. Modern kiln drying can accelerate this, but at a cost to the wood's character and stability.

At Sage & Stone, we maintain our own timber stocks. When you commission a kitchen, the oak for your cabinetry has likely been seasoning in our yard for three years or more.

This isn't inefficiency--it's insurance. We're building furniture your grandchildren will use. A few years of patience now prevents decades of problems later.

We've had clients ask us to rush. We've had competitors promise faster delivery. Both paths lead to the same destination: furniture that fails.

Every board in our workshop has a story. We know where it grew, when it was felled, and how long it's been drying. This provenance isn't just record-keeping--it's quality control.

When you receive your Sage & Stone kitchen, you're receiving timber that's been cared for as carefully as the finished joinery. The waiting is part of the craft.

If you're ready to begin your commission--and to embrace the pace that quality demands--we'd love to hear from you.