About the Finishes
All the finishes we use are completely non-toxic when dry. Games and boxes are finished in a next generation water-based lacquer that gives a very durable, beautiful finish and is much easier on the environment than traditional solvent-based lacquers.
Caring For Your Wood Product
Most of our products need minimal care. Just keep them clean with a soft cloth, which may be slightly dampened with water. Furniture cleaners or waxes can also be used, but please do not use spray cleaners. Game boards should not be left in direct sunlight as it can cause warping and temporary discoloration.
About the Wood
We use local Missouri-grown wood as much as possible. We occasionally use a bit of exotic wood for accents on some pieces.
Black walnut is native to eastern North America and prevalent in Missouri. A species of flowering tree, it grows to 100-130 feet tall. Flowers in the spring are followed by formation of the familiar nuts in the fall. Walnut has been highly prized for centuries for its beautiful color, durability, and dimensional stability. Early colonists exported the wood to England from Virginia as early as 1610. The deep chocolate brown walnut wood was used in all sorts of furniture, as well as for flooring and gunstocks. The popularity of walnut as a fine furniture wood exploded from 1830-1860.
Black cherry is native to the eastern half of North America. The tree grows 60-80 feet tall and is related to the smaller sweet cherry, flowers, producing a tart fruit that is a favorite in pies and other culinary delights. The tight grained wood has been used in fine furniture, toys, tools, and household articles for centuries. When first cut, the wood is a light pink to red brown color but with time and exposure to light, the color deepens to a beautiful rich, slightly reddish brown. Cherry cabinets are sometimes dyed or stained to achieve the darker color sooner, but that prevents the natural deep richness from developing.
There are a variety of maple trees used in woodworking. They have a light color and fine grain, although the grain pattern varies between species. They range from the northeastern part of the US down into the plains. Many maples are known for their colorful autumn leaves and whirlybird seeds, and some are used for collecting sap for making syrup. Some maple is also used for tonewood in musical instruments. Sugar maple, or hard maple, is a very dense and strong wood. Curly maple is a softer variety, and spalted maple is a special condition that can occur in any maple. Spalting is caused by certain fungi in the tree and produces a decorative looking pattern in the wood.
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the most well-known and commonly used hardwoods of North America. It is a long-lived oak, growing 80-100 feet high with branches that can spread as wide as the tree is tall. In spite of its name, the bark is light gray. Finished wood ranges from a light to medium brown with a pronounced grain.