We recommend an occasional polish with a soft cloth using Pledge or something similar.

NEVER USE AN ALCOHOL BASE CLEANER,     YOU WILL END UP STRIPING THE FINISH

Protected from the elements, your board should last for many, many years.

We do see the appearance of “character” as a positive for the board. Small dings, dents, and scratches add to the sense of history of a well-used and cherished board.

Most boards are finished with shellac. Brushing or spraying on a light coat of shellac will probably restore the finish like new.  Light sanding with fine sandpaper, such as 400 grit, before and between coats will help, too.

Should you wish to strip the finish completely, shellac dissolves in alcohol.

Please beware that we apply any paint on your board between layers of shellac, so stripping back the finish may remove paint, too.

We rarely use polyurethane to finish boards, particularly those with pad auk wood and similar alcohol-soluble natural coloring.  Even with this finish, a fresh layer of shellac on top should work fine.

REMOVING THE FINISH WHILE THE PRODUCT IS UNDER WARRANTY WILL VOID THE WARRANTY

We recommend an occasional polish with a soft cloth using Pledge or something similar.

NEVER USE AN ALCOHOL BASE CLEANER,     YOU WILL END UP STRIPING THE FINISH

Mahogany is fairly hard and has a nice warm, reddish wood tone. It shows engraving and images very well and is often available in wide planks making it suitable for larger boards. We use many types of mahogany, that vary quite considerably in tone.

Unfortunately, we no longer accept customers’ wood for making custom boards.

We have found that the time needed to prepare the wood to the correct moisture content, preparation for drilling and engraving, making and finishing, and the risk of damaging a special, meaningful piece of irreplaceable wood puts the price way above our regular custom work.  This can delay our regular work and is very disruptive to our scheduling.

Some woods do not drill well, engrave poorly, and resist good finishing, and others have internal stresses and faults that only become apparent during the making process.

Although some customers have a much larger budget than others, we have decided to stick to what we know we can do well.

However, with a good top-down photo with measurements, we would be happy to work with you on a custom template so you can drill your board yourself.

Protected from the elements, your board should last for many, many years.

We do see the appearance of “character” as a positive for the board. Small dings, dents, and scratches add to the sense of history of a well-used and cherished board.

Most boards are finished with shellac. Brushing or spraying on a light coat of shellac will probably restore the finish like new.  Light sanding with fine sandpaper, such as 400 grit, before and between coats will help, too.

Should you wish to strip the finish completely, shellac dissolves in alcohol.

Please beware that we apply any paint on your board between layers of shellac, so stripping back the finish may remove paint, too.

We rarely use polyurethane to finish boards, particularly those with pad auk wood and similar alcohol-soluble natural coloring.  Even with this finish, a fresh layer of shellac on top should work fine.

REMOVING THE FINISH WHILE THE PRODUCT IS UNDER WARRANTY WILL VOID THE WARRANTY

Drilling and engraving oak and the subsequent painting is much more difficult and we price oak higher to cover the extra work involved.  It’s a porous wood with open pores but very strong, with a warm tone and often clear grain.

Yes – we use mainly black walnut which is usually very dark although we do sometimes find lighter planks. Engraving is usually filled with black paint to help visibility but the dark wood keeps the contrast low.

Cherry is very popular and a good compromise color-wise between the darker mahogany and lighter maple.

Maple is even harder than mahogany and has a light, creamy color. It engraves very well and dark engraving is very easy to see with great contrast.  Maple is recommended for those with vision issues as the dark holes show up very well.

Our boards come with metal pegs as standard.  Materials include Stainless Steel, Black Steel, Brass, Copper, and Aluminum.

We also have a range of painted and natural wooden pegs which we can swap out if requested.

You can see our pegs on the Pegs and Accessories page.

You can specify which wood species you would like used for your project when you order your board.

We usually pick the plank we think works best for the design, but if you wish to have more control over the individual plank, we do offer a service where you can choose the actual plank used:

Sometimes, the wood surprises us during the finishing stages and it is only then that the full beauty is revealed!

We use brass sheets for our peg doors

Mahogany is by far the most popular, with the cherry second, then pine, walnut, and maple pretty close, and oak a distant sixth

It’s tough for us to locally Source 15 inch round so We only use pine for our 15″ diameter round pine boards which we get already round from our wood supplier.  That saves a lot of work as with other species, you either have to find a rare 16″ wide plank to cut it out from or you have to glue and laminate pieces together and spend a lot of time sanding it smooth.

Wood will do what wood will do!  We drum-sand each board completely flat before we drill and engrave it.

However, when we add hundreds of holes, engraving, pockets, and finishing, sometimes the wood reacts, especially well-figured and wide (over 12 inches) boards.

Wood can do all kinds of crazy things – warp, twist, cup, crook (wain), kink, and even crack – as the internal tensions are released and the moisture content re-settles.

Sometimes this happens within hours and sometimes not for years.  Changes in climate – humidity, and temperature – can also instigate these changes.

Again, we can do little to correct this natural occurrence, except to offer extra felt pads that can be applied underneath to re-balance the board.

Often we use a smaller pad or two under a larger one to add even more depth where needed.

If you have an issue with movement in your board, please get in touch with us and we’ll arrange for a selection of felt pads to be sent out to you.

If we notice the beginnings of movement in your board before shipping, we’ll include extra pads for you with the board.

Sometimes, giving the board a little time to acclimatize is all that is needed. if the movement becomes too much for you and there’s an email and we will carry placement with you send an email to  admin@clearwinner.live-website.com

Mahogany is fairly hard and has a nice warm, reddish wood tone. It shows engraving and images very well and is often available in wide planks making it suitable for larger boards. We use many types of mahogany, that vary quite considerably in tone.

Unfortunately, we no longer accept customers’ wood for making custom boards.

We have found that the time needed to prepare the wood to the correct moisture content, preparation for drilling and engraving, making and finishing, and the risk of damaging a special, meaningful piece of irreplaceable wood puts the price way above our regular custom work.  This can delay our regular work and is very disruptive to our scheduling.

Some woods do not drill well, engrave poorly, and resist good finishing, and others have internal stresses and faults that only become apparent during the making process.

Although some customers have a much larger budget than others, we have decided to stick to what we know we can do well.

However, with a good top-down photo with measurements, we would be happy to work with you on a custom template so you can drill your board yourself.

Drilling and engraving oak and the subsequent painting is much more difficult and we price oak higher to cover the extra work involved.  It’s a porous wood with open pores but very strong, with a warm tone and often clear grain.

Yes – we use mainly black walnut which is usually very dark although we do sometimes find lighter planks. Engraving is usually filled with black paint to help visibility but the dark wood keeps the contrast low.

Cherry is very popular and a good compromise color-wise between the darker mahogany and lighter maple.

Maple is even harder than mahogany and has a light, creamy color. It engraves very well and dark engraving is very easy to see with great contrast.  Maple is recommended for those with vision issues as the dark holes show up very well.

Our boards come with metal pegs as standard.  Materials include Stainless Steel, Black Steel, Brass, Copper, and Aluminum.

We also have a range of painted and natural wooden pegs which we can swap out if requested.

You can see our pegs on the Pegs and Accessories page.

You can specify which wood species you would like used for your project when you order your board.

We usually pick the plank we think works best for the design, but if you wish to have more control over the individual plank, we do offer a service where you can choose the actual plank used:

Sometimes, the wood surprises us during the finishing stages and it is only then that the full beauty is revealed!

We use brass sheets for our peg doors

Mahogany is by far the most popular, with the cherry second, then pine, walnut, and maple pretty close, and oak a distant sixth

It’s tough for us to locally Source 15 inch round so We only use pine for our 15″ diameter round pine boards which we get already round from our wood supplier.  That saves a lot of work as with other species, you either have to find a rare 16″ wide plank to cut it out from or you have to glue and laminate pieces together and spend a lot of time sanding it smooth.

Wood will do what wood will do!  We drum-sand each board completely flat before we drill and engrave it.

However, when we add hundreds of holes, engraving, pockets, and finishing, sometimes the wood reacts, especially well-figured and wide (over 12 inches) boards.

Wood can do all kinds of crazy things – warp, twist, cup, crook (wain), kink, and even crack – as the internal tensions are released and the moisture content re-settles.

Sometimes this happens within hours and sometimes not for years.  Changes in climate – humidity, and temperature – can also instigate these changes.

Again, we can do little to correct this natural occurrence, except to offer extra felt pads that can be applied underneath to re-balance the board.

Often we use a smaller pad or two under a larger one to add even more depth where needed.

If you have an issue with movement in your board, please get in touch with us and we’ll arrange for a selection of felt pads to be sent out to you.

If we notice the beginnings of movement in your board before shipping, we’ll include extra pads for you with the board.

Sometimes, giving the board a little time to acclimatize is all that is needed. if the movement becomes too much for you and there’s an email and we will carry placement with you send an email to  admin@clearwinner.live-website.com