Woodworking
Need 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 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…
Read MoreTop 5 DIY Woodworking Gifts You Still Have Time to Make
If you’re a woodworker you know the value of a handmade gift. Everyone appreciates seeing that thought went into getting them something nice for Christmas and nothing says this more than a hand-crafted item. While, yes, the holidays may only be weeks away and you might be feeling the crunch of getting everything ready in…
Read MoreThe (Un)Usual Suspects: Really Unusual Walnut Slabs
I am always on the hunt to buy wide hardwood slabs from our network of small sawmills, but it gets harder and harder to find them, as demand is high. Walnut is always scarce, because there just aren’t that many Walnut trees here in New England. Tree companies come across them occasionally when a homeowner…
Read MoreWoodworking and the Lost Art of Mentoring
Many people have asked me over the years how I first got started in woodworking. From a very young age, I was always fascinated by anything to do with construction. I used to go to building sites near my home and pick up scraps of lumber, from which I would make rudimentary projects. I took…
Read MoreThe Mindset of Woodworking
As a boy, I was introduced to woodworking by my uncle, who was an electrician, but knew his way around carpentry, as well. Better yet, I had two great uncles, from the “old country,” who had been expert carpenters, and one a stair builder. One of them was the father of the founder of a…
Read MoreHobby Wood for Your Next Woodworking Project
“Hobby wood” is just another name for shorter pieces of very high quality hardwoods and softwoods. I never fail to be astounded at some of the completed small projects our customers bring in to show us, from simple cutting boards to magnificent mantle clocks, bird carvings, and just about anything you can imagine…
Read MoreSpecialty Lumber & Woodworking Supplies Are Our Bread & Butter
In addition to stocking some of the finest hardwoods, hardwood plywood, and Eastern White Pine, Barney & Carey Co. also carries a nice assortment of woodworking supplies. For example, we recently started manufacturing our own “Perfectly Square Blocks.” These are used when clamping together cabinet face fronts—and cabinets—to square them up perfectly. We offer them in small, medium, and large sizes, and make them out of 1″ Baltic Birch Plywood. Baltic Birch is a superior plywood, with many more plies than fir and other hardwood plywoods. The result is a much more stable product that lies perfectly flat and will not warp.
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