South Bend Woodworks- Why We Do It

Our Wood

At South Bend Woodworks we only use wood and solutions for our customers, that we feel 100% confident are the top notch in quality and are chemical free. Each item in our delicately hand-carved Kids Collection is safety-tested by Underwriters Labs’ UL Verification Services and hand painted with water soluble, non-toxic finishes. We take pride in the wood that we use, and our favorite. is Baltic Birch. Produced only in the Baltic regions of Europe, this product offers beauty combined with unrivaled strength, durability, clean joinery and superior screw holding. Each sheet is comprised of up to 13 layers of 1.5mm solid birch veneer, cross banded for strength, and resulting in void free panels, ideal for the stools and rockers we create.

Of course not all of our products are made of Baltic Birch. We use American Cherry, Black Walnut, and Hard Midwestern Maple. American Cherry is possibly the most beautiful of all the hardwoods. We use only the heartwood with its rich reddish brown hues. The graceful grain patterns complemented by the soft patina of our finish give our hardwood boxes a stunningly beautiful appearance. We like to describe Black Walnut as a rare hardwood from the Midwest. Black Walnut is known for its beauty, strength and durability. By carefully selecting only first grade heartwood, we insure that the texture, grain and tones of the wood meet the high standards for our hardwood boxes. Finally our Hard Western Maple that we harvest from Michigan. It can be found, because of its strength and density, in a variety of products from bowling pins to butcher block counters. We use only the highest grades of Hard Maple for its strength and consistent color and grain patterns.

Our Products

Now that we’ve introduced you to the wood that we use, lets talk about what we use that wood for. As you know if you have followed this blog, we focus on only crafting the finest products from the finest wood. We hand craft heirloom-quality, premium wood treasures that allow our customers to uniquely display their passion for their favorite school, or share lasting memories of childhood play with their loved ones. Our craftsmen maintain the highest standards of production to create distinctive, vibrant products worthy of your fandom or family. We strive for quality craftsmanship with all our products.

We do not overlook any details when it comes to creating our products. Our craftsmen take pride in every order that comes in, and approach each with the attention of a true artist. From the materials we source to the personalized manner in which we design, build, inspect and finish every piece, our mission is to create truly exceptional products.

Our Wooden Name Puzzle is our most popular item and there is a good reason why. Wooden Name Puzzles have been some of the most popular toys for kids for generations, and we wanted to continue that rich legacy. Our Name Puzzles are so well suited to the development of your child, it’s one that we’d put it up against any toy on the market. But more than that, it’s a personalized gift for the newest addition to the family. If you are interested in our name puzzles take a look here.

Our Products are not only built carefully and precisely to have a wow factor now, but to last generations as well. We take the time to build every product with the ultimate care and superior wood working methods to ensure decades of durability. Our fine-tuned, pocket construction allows individual wooden parts to nest together seamlessly, creating precise alignment that can withstand years of even the heaviest use. And before any product is put up for sale, it goes through rigorous testing (and retesting) to ensure it passes all regulation and compliance standards. You can feel this commitment when you hold our products. The weight of quality wood. The precise lines. The smooth and vibrant paint. It all comes together to create products that will not only last generations, but that you’ll want to pass down for generations.

Goodwill and The Community

At South Bend Woodworks are main goal outside of crafting timeless products is to give back to our community that has given us so much in anyway possible. We hire local, and do our part to make sure jobs stay in South Bend. On top of that we have made successful strides at hiring through Goodwill. We believe that everyone deserves a second chance.

Our view is, the difference between a successful society and one that is challenged often has to do with employment . We know that we are a small company and are not going to move the needle when it comes to unemployment, but we found an opportunity to make a difference. So we have hired folks in the community through Goodwill, whether that be from being in prison or struggling with a disability. The kind of kids who grew up, maybe in special ed classes, or had a hard time learning. We believe it is crucial to give this people an opportunity and not turn a blind eye to the fact that some people have problems that they deal with. We believe that this should not disqualify them from an opportunity to have a career and find a place in life where their skills shine. The job specialists at Goodwill will sit down with these people and work with them and find those strong suits that they have and then send them to people like us to make those opportunities come to life.

To conclude, we just wanted to give you a little insight on why we do what we do here at South Bend Woodworks. We hope that everyone is saying safe and have a tremendous fall.