How can we source wood?

Do you need a few pieces of wood to make instruments, toys or jewellery? Are you looking for beautifull wood that isn’t linked to social or environmental tragedies? You are unaware of any examples of sustainable forestry in your local area, and have doubts about the label “wood from sustainably managed forests”?

1) In town

– Go rummaging through bins, especially on bulky waste collection days or pretty much any time between blocks of flats (people moving house).
– Have a chat with the park maintenance staff and gardeners, and skip to point 2) if you’ve had a fruitful conversation. Just saying.

A window in a dilapidated house decorated with graffiti, through which a tree can be seen inside.

2) In the countryside

Do you need small, beautifull planks with inspiring patterns?
– Gather fallen branches from the ground.
– Hunt for treasures in your firewood pile.
C ut them into small planks using a froe (or, if you don’t have one, use an axe and a drawknife – which is what I do), then plane them down. And, of course, if you have a bandsaw or a table saw, it might be easier…
In any case, let your planks dry slowly for at least a few months!