Posts by Keevin Geller
About Moldings
Over the decades, I have found the one major thing that distinguishes exceptional houses from the plain and ordinary: the moldings. When I first started remodeling and building in the early 1970’s, door and window casings were either clamshell (ranch) or colonial, in either 2 1/2″ or 3 1/2″ widths. Occasionally, a few outstanding architects…
Read MoreBig Sale! 30% Off! One Day Only!
Saturday 9/28 | 8am–2pm | All Slabs and Everything Else! That’s right, 30% off EVERYTHING we have in stock! Since I bought the company in 1978, we have never had a sale ever! I never had sales because I never liked them. I felt that they were unfair to customers who couldn’t be there, and…
Read MoreBoules, and Wood Flooring
A “boule” (I thought you’d never ask!) is a whole butt – or base – log that has been sawn into boards or slabs, and stacked sequentially in the sequence they were cut. A few mills will sell them like this, rather than sawing the logs in whatever way produces the most lumber. “Who cares?”…
Read MoreNeed Walnut? We’ve Got It!
Ever since I started in construction in the mid 1960’s, there have been many trends in the use of various woods for interior finish. When I was converting a Back Bay townhouse into condos in 1973, all the existing doors and trim had long been painted white. Some of it was poplar, which was meant…
Read MoreSLABS!!!
A “slab” is generally described as one piece of wood, the width of the tree from which it was sawn, with or without “live edges” (the natural shape of the tree sides), and usually quite thick. Barney and Carey has been selling slabs for years, while always seeking new sources for them. We buy them from…
Read MoreShorts, Cookies, Discs, and Hardwood Oddities
As written here in a previous blog, about eight years ago I took on two partners and decided to make a radical change at Barney & Carey. The location in Sharon had functioned pretty well as a small, “full service” lumber company, but had really outgrown its tired facility. Both Barney & Carey and my…
Read MoreThe Awesome CNC Machine
Many of our clients are quite familiar with CNC Machines, and many are not- including myself, to a large extent. “CNC” stands for Computer Numerical Control, which automates the usage of machinery, such as our router, through the use of preprogrammed software to run the equipment. CNC can also be used to run lathes, milling…
Read MoreYou’ve Never Seen a Shipment of Hardwoods Like This Before
I have mentioned many times how difficult it can be to source high quality hardwoods. We have been diligent at keeping a good inventory of them—both domestic and exotic—in stock. However, sometimes, I just can’t find what is needed. Recently, one of our three owners, Dovi, told me that we were pretty depleted in a…
Read MoreA Treasure of Exotic Hardwoods
As the old saw goes, “some days ya just get lucky!” Well, that is exactly what happened to me recently. A little background, first. As woodworkers, craftspeople, woodturners, etc., we have been intrigued with using some exotic hardwoods in our projects. Yes, many of these woods are very expensive and often hard to obtain, but…
Read MoreTradition at Barney & Carey
We are certainly proud to be celebrating Barney and Carey’s 100th anniversary since opening on the banks of the Neponset River, Milton, in 1922. It was the former site of the old Neponset Coal Co. I found the original permit and plans for the deep water docks, dated 1897. As the coal had long been…
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