The Wood Working Process

Master craftsman and owner Bill Dorsey incorporates old-world woodworking techniques into his contemporary pieces, giving the Dorsey Originals their desired look.

Dorsey Originals begins with the highest quality wood, veneer, and finishes. We insist on viewing the raw materials before we buy them. We seek out the finest wood with the greatest personality. Our network of suppliers includes companies and individuals that appreciate wood like we do. We select wood for its beauty and unique characteristics and contrasts with other woods. When we buy logs to be milled at our local sawmill, we view each log in its entirety to insure quality throughout the entire flitch. A flitch is wood talk for a longitudinal cut from the trunk of a tree. The entire flitch is like a package of bacon slices cut from the same side. Some other wood terms you may or may not be familiar with  are included in the Dorsey Dictionary.

Grain - the stripes in the wood created by growth rings which may be tight, indicating slow growth, widely spaced, indicating quick growth, or any variation in between. Different woods have distinct grain patterns that help identify them.
Figure - the pattern in the wood that gives it a unique appearance that may be wavy, tiger striped, curly, flaming, or many other variations.
Burl - an unusual growth on a tree that may be caused by a virus or bacteria, often resulting in a highly figured piece of wood.

All Dorsey Originals are crafted from solid pieces of fine wood such as North Carolina cherry, maple, pecan, and walnut or mahogany. These are our most used varieties, but we do not limit our possibilities. Our tables are finished with clear layers of epoxy, which helps stabilize the wood. The true beauty of wood is only revealed in the final finishing stage when the finish is applied. There can be wide color and figure variations among similar trees. We may spend hours sorting through stacks of wood to find the most interesting boards. We want to start any table, custom or limited edition, with the finest pattern grade lumber and face veneer. The selection process can take time because we want only the best quality and uniqueness in every piece of wood we use. We believe that a project can be elevated to true art solely by the care taken in selecting the materials.

We have established relationships with tree buyers, lumberyards, and wood distributors to supply the high quality wood we use to manufacture the tables and bases. We work with one primary wood supplier, "Our Huckleberry" that supplies most of our local Cherry, Walnut, and Maple. Bill has spent many hours “lumberjacking” with him and his mobile sawmill. (see gallery) Our veneers are supplied by various companies throughout the United States.

If we are using our own purchased logs the next step is milling the rough lumber for the solid wood portions of the project. Each piece is cut, stacked, and carefully dried. We may cut some of the veneer faces for a project. We may also purchase veneers we can not mill ourselves. For construction that is to last a lifetime, boards must be precisely milled and fitted.

This layout of veneers is perhaps the most important part of the project because it is largely what will be noticed when the piece is finished. Bill personally inspects all veneer faces prior to layout. He is a master of veneer layout and matching. A favorite design is the tumbling block pattern or the classic Louis XIV pattern formerly used for royalty and today is only found on antiques and fine reproductions of those antiques and Dorsey Originals’ tables.  Each piece in the block patterns is individually cut and pieced into the design for the one-of-a-kind design and look. Seven years into the process Bill has worked out most of the kinks in the production.

The finish on a piece of furniture not only brings out the hidden beauty of the wood, but also protects it. Our craftspeople use many time-honored techniques, such as hand rubbed finishes in their work, but they also embrace more modern applications, such as the tough epoxy finish. Care for each piece is as individualized as the person who created it, and this knowledge is shared with the customer who purchases the piece.

After the veneers are cut and pressed to a stable substrate, we begin the construction of the project. Each step of the table making process Bill has perfected over the past seven years. A variety of hand and power tools are required to produce a fine piece of furniture. These are just some of the fine tools that are used to create our furniture. Some are new, some are very used, and some of them are hand made.

Many of the processes we use to develop our creations, Bill has developed by trial and error, such as his steam machine. The steamer is used to give the wood a steam bath to soften the wood fibers before it is pressed into the desired shape. Though this was a method used by the Vikings centuries ago, it is not a method that is generally used. Bill had to design a steaming machine before he could begin the steaming process and a hydraulic press to bend the wood.

When we have the basic structure of the table board complete, we then add any moldings, trim work or inlays. Each one is done completely by hand, with each piece being cut one at a time. Once cut, the hand made molding or inlay is then glued and clamped in place.

When the last of the construction and assembly is complete, we begin the meticulous process of sanding and preparation for finishing. At this time, the entire piece is disassembled so that the finishing can begin. The sanding process is perhaps the most important part of the creation of a Dorsey Original. For the finish to be perfect, the sanding must be perfect. While the finishing process composes nearly thirty percent of the total time on a project, sanding is more than fifty percent of the finishing time. After the sanding is complete, the oiling or staining process can be performed. Although most of our work is a clear finish, occasionally we are asked to stain something. In this case we use a variety of colorants.