Our Story
It starts with a love of wood, and of the trees that undergo multiple reincarnations, from living organisms to felled timber to milled lumber.
It continues with an appreciation of fine tools, blades honed to razor sharpness, handles worn smooth with the gentle caress from generations of skilled craftsman.
It ends here, with trees that have been reborn to live again, the raw wood transformed into handcrafted items of beauty, wooden heirlooms to last a lifetime and beyond, for many more generations to enjoy.
The Wood
Every tree is a time capsule, a story waiting to be told. Hidden beneath the bark is a treasure trove of growth rings and grain and colors and smells and texture, eager to reveal to those who are patient enough to look and listen and learn, the history of how that tree grew and what it experienced throughout its amazing life.
Bringing that story to life requires a steady hand, a keen eye, an inquisitive mind, and most of all experienced craftsmanship. At Ciarrocca WoodWorks we take pride in working hard to understand the story of each piece of wood that comes into our shop and to capture the essence of how best to tell that story in the items we make.
The Craftsmanship
At Ciarrocca WoodWorks, first and foremost is a respect for the wood. Every piece is different, every piece is unique. We take our time to listen to their stories, to let the wood tell us what it wants to be. Sometimes the stories are slow in coming. The wood needs time to breath and to relax after it’s been cut and planed and sanded. The glue needs time to dry thoroughly. The finish needs time to dry evenly.
We also work hard to showcase, respect, and highlight the natural colors of the wood, particularly our beautiful native Pennsylvania hardwoods. We don’t ever use stains or dyes, and try very hard to never paint a wooden piece unless we know it will be used outdoors and needs extra protections from the elements.
The Business
Located in the heart of the beautiful Cumberland Valley of south-central Pennsylvania, Ciarrocca WoodWorks specializes in handcrafting unique items from locally-sources native hardwoods that are useful, practical, and encourage joyful living. We particularly enjoy making things that appeal to those who are curious, playful, inquisitive, mischievous, or otherwise just young at heart. Our eclectic repertoire of wooden treasures includes toys, games, puzzles, boxes, utensils, keepsakes, knickknacks, and whatever else inspires our wide-ranging interests and curiosity.
The People
Ciarrocca WoodWorks is a small father and daughter team working together to create the beautiful, handcrafted items you see on this website. Lindsey provides the creative genius, motivation, and business expertise, while Jim spends his time happily creating sawdust and scrap wood in his backyard woodshop.
The Passion
At Ciarrocca WoodWorks we believe strongly in supporting local businesses and community industries, as well as maintaining sustainable forestry practices. To that end, all our products are handcrafted either from Pennsylvania native hardwoods or from recycled, reclaimed, and salvaged wood.
Our beautiful native oak, maple, cherry, walnut, ash, and other hardwoods are sourced either from local family-owned sawmills or sustainably harvested from nearby state forest lands.
The recycled woods come from many sources, including old furniture pieces, firewood piles, sawmill scraps, and landscape refuse. We especially like the idea of recycling wood that has already been used for some other purpose, and that might be in danger of being destroyed, burned, or otherwise disposed of.
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