At the end of the drying stage the temperature is raised high enough to help insure there are no wood bug eggs inside the wood. Drying can be difficult as most of our designs have varying wall thickness.

After obtaining, by testing every piece, an internal moisture content reading below 10%, the product is sanded in stages to smooth the rough carving into the final shape. This is all done by hand so every piece is unique, sizes are not exact, but the flat surfaces are made functional.

Now that all of the natural and drying cracks, and wood inclusions by rough sanding have been exposed, they are sanded to smooth and blend all surfaces. One group will finish sand the overall product, and then another group will inspect and finish sand any inclusions, cracks, or marks by hand.

At this stage the product goes through another quality control check. This is to point out and discuss with the sanders any corrections required prior to finishing. Once approved the piece is assigned to an order for the required finish.

Applying the oil is a time consuming art. Even though the wood has been sanded smooth, the nature of the wood is to have crosshatched surfaces exposed at times. The oil is rubbed in by hand, in thin coats, in three to six stages over the course of five to seven workdays. The oil has to be allowed to absorb into and dry into the wood. This is to build up a surface that can be buffed into a matte finish. The weather affects this process, so there is no set time between coats. Since there are no wood sealers or chemical bases used, occasionally there can be some small dull or rough spots. This is in keeping with the policy of creating an all-natural safe product that can complete the product life cycle. All products can be safely disposed of, if need be, into the earth from which it came.