David Walbert Woodworking
Heirloom-quality furniture and woodenware from a one-man shop in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built with traditional methods for future generations.
I work almost exclusively with hand tools, in a more or less traditional manner, designing joinery and methods to leverage the virtues of my tools and my skill in using them. Hand tools let the wood talk back and keep me paying attention to my craft, and there’s real satisfaction in knowing that I’m inheriting and sustaining a centuries-old tradition. Hand tools also save money and space, and for making things one at a time, they're actually more efficient than machines that require a lot of setup.
I rely on native woods of eastern North America — mainly cherry, walnut, oak, ash, maple, poplar, and pine. This is partly for sustainability but also because I want my work to be grounded in place. Scrap from furniture projects becomes spoons and woodenware, and the piles of shavings my planes generate are composted for next year’s garden. When possible, I use naturally-derived finishes that are safe for me, you, and the environment while still protecting and enhancing the wood. And, as my daughter (then eight) explains in this diagram, hand tools are a more sustainable way of working to start with.
