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Tag: Reclaimed lumber projects
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The Ethics Behind the Art: Why Sustainable Woodworking Matters
We believe pretty things should do good, too.
Ever wonder what happens to that pile of wood scraps at the bottom of the bin? Around here, they don’t get tossed — they get transformed.
At Sarkanys Rising, sustainability isn’t a checkbox. It’s a mindset, a material source, and honestly, sometimes a scavenger hunt (looking at you, Rex, and that roadside fruitwood bedframe you turned into candleholders). We’re not purists — we don’t only use reclaimed or recycled materials — but we are intentional. Thoughtful. And pretty darn scrappy.
How Our Eco-Friendly Workshop Transforms Waste into Art
Let’s talk about what really happens in our sustainable woodworking studio. Rex is the champion of salvaging — he brings home quality wood he’s found roadside or rescued from dump piles. From hybrid pen blanks to that ambitious tabletop made entirely of offcuts (that I still haven’t made), nothing gets left behind if he can help it.
We purchase boxes of cutoffs from lumber mills, and Rex creates handles, bottle stoppers, and cabochons from what others consider waste. It’s like a treasure hunt where the prize is always something beautiful waiting to emerge from discarded materials.
Recycled Resin Art: Dawn’s Sustainable Magic
Dawn’s resin work doesn’t just sparkle — it saves. She takes old resin and transforms it into entirely new blanks for Rex to work with. (And if she ever gets her hands on a shredder that can handle hard plastic, watch out — waste doesn’t stand a chance!)
But here’s where it gets really interesting: when wood is too damaged or punky to use traditionally, Dawn steps in with resin stabilization. Those lightning-struck lilac pieces, the forest-green walnut recovery French Rolling Pin, and all those gorgeous stabilized maple and buckeye burl pieces? They’re not just beautiful — they’re rescued from what would have been the burn pile.
Paladium & Gold Fountain Pen From Scrap Wood to Stunning Centerpieces
One of our favorite success stories? The piece we call “Intensity,” carved from leftover padauk scraps (we have more than a few of those) and joined with oak from another project. It’s bold, rich, and has the kind of story you can only get from materials that lived a life before becoming art.
This is what separates handmade sustainable art from mass production — every piece has history, character, and purpose beyond just looking pretty on your shelf.
The Environmental Impact of Choosing Handmade
When you choose reclaimed wood art over mass-produced furniture, you’re making a statement. You’re saying that forests matter, that craftsmanship has value, and that beautiful things don’t have to come at the earth’s expense.
Every salvaged piece of wood we use is one less thing in a landfill. Every stabilized burl is a tree that gets to live on in a new form. Every recycled resin blank means fewer resources extracted from the earth.
Why Ethical Craftsmanship Creates Better Art
There’s something magical that happens when you work with materials that have stories. That fruitwood from the bedframe carries memories of the family who slept above it. The mill cutoffs hold the potential that the original craftsman saw but couldn’t fully realize.
Rex’s 40+ years of experience means he can see possibilities where others see problems. A crack in the wood becomes a design feature. A knot becomes a focal point. Imperfections become character.
Creating Heirloom Quality from Rescued Materials
At the end of the day, our art is rooted in ethics — in making beautiful things and doing right by the planet. It’s about honoring the materials, whether they came from the forest, the lumberyard offcut pile, or someone’s forgotten furniture.
Because we believe the things you bring into your home should be more than pretty. They should be meaningful. They should do good. And, ideally, they should make you smile every time you use them — knowing that your beautiful cutting board or unique pen once had a completely different life.
As always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood (or resin, or salvage missions). Thanks for being part of our story — we love sharing the journey with you.
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The Real Story Behind Handmade Wood Art
(And Why Your Home Needs It)
Ever pass by a pile of discarded furniture on the curb and think, “what a waste”?
Yeah… we don’t either. We think, “Ooh, potential.”
At Sarkanys Rising, we believe handmade means heart-made — and it starts with materials that others overlook. Our workshop is filled with reclaimed wood, rescued relics, and offcuts from mills that didn’t quite meet factory standards. But to us? They’re treasures.
Where Sustainable Craftsmanship Really Begins
We’re lucky to work with two incredible small businesses who see that potential too:
Cook Woods – especially their “Salvaging What Others Throw Away” philosophy – gives us access to exotic and domestic hardwoods that would otherwise be discarded. These aren’t your typical lumber yard finds; we’re talking about character-rich pieces with stories already written in their grain.
Woodworkers Source – or as we call it, the Tucson playground of possibilities – has this magical $1.99 bin. (Dawn can’t help but organize it while simultaneously loading up hundreds of dollars worth of wood “for future projects.” Rex has learned to just smile and nod at this point.)
Together, they help us bring sustainable craftsmanship to life, one rescued piece at a time.
What Handmade Wood Art Really Means
Here’s the thing: handmade doesn’t mean slapping a name on something pulled off an assembly line.
It means starting with the right piece of wood — the one that asks to be something special. It means running our hands (and hearts) across every surface. It means Rex spending hours coaxing a bowl into existence because the grain decided to surprise him mid-turn.
We do have a laser and a CNC in the shop — but they’re assistants, not artists. The wood makes the difference.
Custom Craftsmanship vs. Mass Production
True custom craftsmanship starts before the first cut is made. It begins with understanding the wood’s story – where it came from, how it lived, what it wants to become. Every piece of reclaimed walnut from that Phoenix backyard tree, every salvaged mesquite beam, every “imperfect” mill offcut has its own personality.
Mass production can’t do that. Factories don’t spend time listening to wood grain or adjusting their process because this particular piece of cherry has a knot that could become a beautiful focal point instead of a flaw to route around.
Why Reclaimed Wood Makes Better Art
When you work with reclaimed materials, you’re not just being environmentally conscious (though that’s a beautiful bonus). You’re working with wood that has character, history, and stories to tell.
That dining table made from barn wood? It remembers decades of harvests and family gatherings. The cutting board crafted from urban lumber? It watched over someone’s backyard for generations before becoming part of your kitchen story.
New wood is lovely, but reclaimed wood has lived.
The Handmade Difference in Your Home
At its core, handmade is about connection. Between wood and maker. Between maker and you. Between your family and the piece that’ll become part of your story.
When you bring one of our pieces into your home, you’re not just buying décor. You’re giving your house a handmade hug. One that’s warm, storied, sustainable — and a little cheeky, just like us.
Love the story? Share it with a friend who still thinks “handmade” just means “expensive.” 😉
As always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood. Thanks for being part of our journey.