How Tofino Woodshop Approaches Sustainable Woodworking

Sustainability in a small woodshop is not based on one material choice or a single environmental claim. It comes from a series of practical decisions: where the wood comes from, how it is milled, how the lumber is prepared and how long the finished product is expected to last.

At Tofino Woodshop, those decisions begin with the Western Red Cedar logs I select and continue through every stage of production. Milling the lumber in-house gives me control over how the logs are cut and prepared, while careful material selection and durable construction help reduce unnecessary waste and premature replacement. The goal is straightforward: use valuable wood responsibly and turn it into products that can remain useful for many years.

Starting With Carefully Sourced Cedar

The process begins with selecting old-growth Western Red Cedar logs from sources I know and trust, including community forests in British Columbia. Buying from community forests helps keep more of the economic value from forestry within the communities that manage them, supporting local employment and community priorities. I look for logs that can produce the clear, straight-grained lumber needed for furniture and other cedar products.

Because this wood has taken generations to grow, I do not treat it as a disposable material. Each log is assessed for its size, grain and potential yield before it is milled. The aim is to recover as much useful lumber as possible.

Careful sourcing does not remove every environmental impact, but it provides a more responsible starting point: knowing where the wood comes from before it reaches the shop.

Milling the Lumber In-House

Milling the logs myself gives me control over how they are cut and the dimensions of the lumber they produce. Rather than purchasing standard flat-sawn boards, I can maintain the quarter-sawn lumber standard used throughout my products, as shown in more detail on Our Milling Process page.

Quarter-sawing requires more handling and repositioning of the log than conventional milling. In my experience, few mills in British Columbia are willing to put in the additional work required to produce clear, quarter-sawn Western Red Cedar, which is one reason I keep the milling process in-house.

Building Products For Long-Term Use

Using the wood responsibly also means building products that are intended to remain useful for many years. I select clear cedar for the finished components and use thicker, more robust parts rather than making them thinner simply to reduce material use or shipping weight.

The hardware is chosen with outdoor exposure in mind as well. I use specified Type 305 and Type 316 stainless-steel fasteners for all of my cedar products. Simply describing fasteners as “stainless steel” does not tell the customer which grade is being supplied or how well suited it is to long-term outdoor exposure. That is why I state the grades rather than relying on a general stainless-steel description.

No outdoor product lasts forever without care, but durable materials and sound construction can help prevent premature replacement. To me, that is an important part of sustainable woodworking.

A Small-Shop Approach

Tofino Woodshop is a one-person operation, so I remain directly involved with the cedar from the time the logs are selected and milled through to the finished product. I choose where the wood comes from, how it is cut and how it is prepared before it becomes part of a chair, table or other cedar product.

Working this way gives me a close connection to the material and to the finished products that leave the shop. The same person who selects and mills the cedar also prepares the lumber, builds the product and inspects it before it is shipped.

Knowing What Goes Into the Finished Product

To me, sustainability is not just a label placed on a finished product. Customers should be able to understand where the cedar came from, how it was milled, why certain materials were chosen and who was responsible for building it.

That level of transparency is what I aim to provide at Tofino Woodshop. I cannot remove every environmental impact from woodworking, but I can be clear about the choices I make and take responsibility for the cedar I bring into the shop.