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...
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,...
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...
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,...
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...
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...