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Our Mission

Reclaimed

Let the past come alive with our custom reclaimed wood products. All products made by The Axe and Adze are crafted from 100% reclaimed and individually unique wood.  Reclaimed wood displays a character of beauty and rustic charm unmatched by any artificial means. Currently the wood that is used to produce our products is from a reclaimed barn built in 1905 in Huron County, Ontario. 

The barn structure was constructed using hand-hewn timbers and pocket and dowel construction.  Over 100 years of use and weathering has given this wood its unique and beautiful patina.

Hand-hewn timbers are the most beautiful and rarest of timbers.  The combination of the original hand-hewn surface and years of use create timbers with ultimate character. The nostalgic pieces created from these timbers will endure their charm as accents in your home for many generations to come.

Reclaimed barn wood boards have been recovered from the walls and floors of the old barn. The beautiful patina associated with barn wood along with its dark knots, nail holes, and kerf saw marks will bring richness to each piece and rustic charm to your home or cottage.

Manufacturing custom wood products from reclaimed and salvaged wood prevents any virgin trees from being cut down, therefore is a green and eco-friendly way to bring wood products into your home.

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Recovered

For a very interesting piece of history, an item can be made using wood that has been recovered from the bottom of lakes and rivers or from old harbour wharfs.

From the 1850s and to the early 1900s original old growth forests were harvested and the logs sent down the lakes and rivers to the mills for processing. Approximately 2-3% of the logs were ‘sinkers’ and lost.  The cold and relatively oxygen-free waters have perfectly preserved these timbers.  Over the years, the timbers have absorbed some of the water and soil’s minerals giving the wood a unique tint. These old growth timbers are recovered from the depths of Georgian Bay, the Great Lakes and other waterway’s throughout North America and are seasonally available and can be crafted into that special one-of-a-kind item.

Toronto’s Queen’s Wharf was constructed in 1833 on the original city’s shoreline. In 1917 the Toronto Harbour Commission decided to begin closing the Western Gap of the harbour to have better control of the harbour entrance.  The infilling of the shoreline resulted in the wharf being buried. In 2006, the construction of condominiums at the foot of Bathurst Street uncovered the old wharf. These large old growth timbers with their unique colouration from being underwater for over 80 years and then in the soil for another 90 years provide wood with a distinctive beauty and interesting history that would sure make a conversation piece in any home.

Rescued

Beautiful wood does not need to come from harvested forests.  There are many trees that been designated for removal due to safety risk, damage, disease, or construction. These rescued woods are quite often lone trees with distinctive growth patterns that form internal characteristics that produce exceptional slabs and planks. Let me craft a unique piece into a exclusive piece for the special accent item in your home.

A Meaningful Impact

The idea behind the standing tree to finished product model is to not only be providing ethically sourced wood products, but also offer furniture that comes with a story and some deeper meaning behind it.

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There are many situations in which large, sentimental, or historic trees must be taken down due to safety or environmental reasons. In these situations, the standing tree to finished product model offers anyone who has a tree on their property that must be taken down the opportunity to embody the memory of the tree into a unique piece of furniture. The Axe and Adze offers customers the option to have heirloom type custom furniture made from their wood, adding an additional level of meaning behind their furniture.

 

Even if you are not the property owner, using this model still provides a story to go with any furniture purchased. When you buy a piece made from a tree sourced using this method, you will be provided with an information sheet with the location the tree was growing, and the reason why it had to be taken down. This gives customers a better appreciation of the source of their wood products and gives them a talking point about the location of the wood their piece of Axe and Adze furniture came from.

 

Steps in the process:

  1. Initial contact with property owner

  2. Site visit to see tree/trees

  3. Discuss options for cutting tree down and items that can be made from it for property owner

  4. Arrange for tree removal where the useable parts will be taken to be kiln dried and sawn

  5. Sawn pieces are then made into furniture of property owners choosing with all additional lumber being kept by me for other projects

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