My Goby Walnut Partnership
Goby Walnut is one of the premier salvaged hardwood suppliers in the world, and they're located right here in Portland. Their workshop and yard have become a destination. Craftspeople travel from across the country to hand-select boards and see their operation firsthand. I'm lucky enough to be twenty minutes away. That proximity is the foundation of every table I build.
The Local Advantage
Being in Portland means I have direct, in-person access to Goby's inventory. I don't order walnut sight-unseen. I walk their yard, turn boards over in my hands, look for the grain patterns, figure, and color range that make Oregon black walnut unlike anything else. This is a relationship I’ve built over more than a decade and hundreds of tables. Every board that goes into your table has been personally chosen by me from one of the finest walnut inventories in the world.
What Salvaged Means at Goby
Goby specializes in urban salvage. Walnut trees removed from yards, parks, and properties throughout the Oregon. These aren't plantation-grown trees harvested at 50 years. These are century-old specimens with character you simply can't get from commercial lumber.
The wood has history. It has figure and grain complexity that only comes from trees that grew slowly, naturally, without the uniformity of a timber farm. When Goby salvages these trees, they're preserving something that would otherwise be lost.
Salvaging the tree is just the beginning. Goby takes their time with air drying, never rushing the process. That patience matters. The longer walnut air dries, the richer the wood becomes. From there it is kiln dried to the moisture content that ensures your table will remain stable for generations.
The Largest Walnut Tree on Record in the United States
Goby salvaged a 150-year-old walnut from a farm on Sauvie Island, believed to be the largest walnut in the United States. I built three tables from that wood. Every customer who owns one knows exactly where their table came from, and that story is part of what they're living with every day.
Let’s Talk
Reach out and let's find the right wood for your table.