Madrone Wood

The Pacific Madrone tree is found locally through the Pacific Northwest from California to British Columbia. Easily identified by it's peeling orange bark, these trees are quite tenacious, often growing on bluffs and cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound.
Madrone wood is a rich creamy pink with a lighter cream colored sap wood and it can have very dense and figured burls. Due to availability and other factors, it is not widely used by commercial furniture manufactures, however it is much appreciated by local artisans who use the wood for turnings and in studio furniture pieces. Many of these artists salvage the wood from local trees that were cut down or removed from urban settings. In this way, these dramatic trees find a second life in one of a kind heirloom pieces.

Many of Northwest Fine Woodworking members and artists have made use of this beautiful natural resource. In fact, there is a stunning tansu made by fourth generation cabinet maker Evert Sodergren in our gallery right now. For me this really illustrates the core difference between studio furniture made by local artists and the mass produced; a connection not just to the individual artist but to the natural materials, the provenance. -NV