The Art of Fine Woodworking
Creating a LavishWood game table is a journey that can take weeks or even months, depending on complexity. Each piece passes through multiple artisans' hands, with every craftsperson bringing specialized expertise to their portion of the work. The result is furniture that transcends its functional purpose to become genuine works of art.
Our Process
Wood Selection
Every piece begins with careful wood selection. Our procurement specialists visit sawmills personally, examining lumber for grain pattern, color consistency, and absence of defects. We look for wood that has been properly dried and aged, ensuring dimensional stability.
Only about 10% of the lumber we examine meets our standards. This selectivity ensures that every piece starts with exceptional raw material.
Design & Planning
For bespoke commissions, we work closely with clients to understand their vision. Our designers create detailed drawings and, when needed, scale models. We consider not just aesthetics but how the piece will be used, ensuring comfortable playing height and proper proportions.
Even for our standard designs, each piece is slightly unique as we adapt to the specific characteristics of the wood being used.
Rough Milling
Selected lumber is rough-milled to approximate size, then allowed to rest. This reveals any hidden tension in the wood that might cause warping. Boards that move excessively are rejected—we never compromise stability for expediency.
This step can add days to the process but ensures pieces remain flat and true for generations.
Joinery
Traditional joinery techniques—mortise and tenon, dovetails, proper glue-ups—ensure structural integrity without reliance on mechanical fasteners. Our master joiners create connections so tight they're nearly invisible, yet strong enough to last centuries.
Modern adhesives complement traditional techniques, but the joint design itself provides the true strength.
Carving & Detailing
Hand-carving adds character and depth. Our lead carver, with over 40 years of experience, works with chisels and gouges to shape wood into sculptural forms. Whether creating chess pieces or decorative elements, every cut is deliberate and refined.
This is where personality emerges—subtle variations in carving ensure no two pieces are identical.
Inlay & Marquetry
For pieces featuring inlay work, our marquetry specialist creates intricate patterns by cutting and fitting different wood species together. Backgammon points, for example, require dozens of individual pieces cut to tolerances of hundredths of a millimeter.
The result appears seamless, with contrasting woods creating striking visual patterns.
Sanding & Preparation
Proper surface preparation is crucial to the final finish. We sand through multiple grits, from 80 to 400, ensuring the wood is perfectly smooth without compromising detail or sharp edges.
This stage requires patience and attention—rushing creates inconsistent finishes that reveal themselves over time.
Finishing
Multiple coats of finish—whether oil, varnish, or wax—are hand-applied and hand-rubbed. Each coat is allowed to fully cure before the next is applied. This builds depth and brings out the wood's natural beauty.
The final rubbing creates a luster that cannot be achieved through spray finishing.
Quality Inspection
Before any piece leaves our workshop, it undergoes rigorous inspection. We check every joint, examine every surface, and ensure the piece meets our exacting standards. Anything less than perfect is refinished or, if necessary, remade.
Our reputation depends on every piece meeting the highest quality standards.
Our Philosophy
We believe in slow craftsmanship. In a world of mass production and planned obsolescence, we create pieces meant to serve families for generations. This requires patience, skill, and unwavering commitment to quality over expedience.
Every shortcut shows eventually. By never compromising, we ensure that LavishWood pieces not only last but improve with age, developing the patina and character that only genuine craftsmanship can achieve.
Experience the Difference
See our craftsmanship in finished pieces, or commission a bespoke creation.