Some of the most beautiful items you will run across will be made, at least in part, of wood. Furniture, figurines, carvings, clocks, gun stocks, humidors—the list is endless.  It stands to reason, then, that the variety of woods used to create these works of art is nearly endless as well.  Rosewood, cedar, mahogany or teak, common or exotic—they all have an inherent warmth and beauty that captures the eye and makes us want to surround ourselves with wood.

There are several websites with information and images of thousands of woods, and I’ve used all of them over the years.  But I’d recommend Paul Hinds’ woodpics, a “non-commercial site focusing on color-correct pictures of exotic and domestic woods” at http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/index.htm as your first stop in identifying a wood.

With most wood identification sites you access a photograph of the wood by clicking on the name.  This process works great IF you know what kind of wood you have.  If not, you can spend hours clicking, viewing a photograph, going back, clicking on next name, etc.

Paul Hinds’ site has photos of over 500 different types of wood in a single column on the main page, making it easy on the eyes and surprisingly quick to go through.  By scrolling down you can view about five at a time.  If you see one that’s similar to what you’re looking for, you can click on it.  A new window (yay! you won’t lose the main page) pops up with—at the very least—general info and a larger photo.  In almost every case, you’ll find many additional photos displaying different cuts, veneers, raw wood, planks, finishes, etc. and divinely detailed close-ups.  Amazingly, the website has over 22,000 photos for you to peruse!

An ILLUSTRATED glossary gave me an understanding of many industry terms, an added bonus when previous readings had left me scratching my head going “huh?”  The glossary covers not only what the average person might want to know, but also targets woodworkers and carpenters.  With specific wood terms, wood toxicity, common and botanical name lists, articles, and new information added frequently, nothing is overlooked.

Presented in a conversational style, it’s easy reading. Donations are accepted to keep it commercial-free.  If you’d like to know your woods, be sure to bookmark Paul’s website—you’ll find it extremely useful, and the woods are breathtaking.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’
Victoria

When Vernon B. strolled through Laura’s Emporium and spotted this secretary in Booth #F3, he saw beyond the white paint and purple flowers.  Down to the solid wood and quality construction, and the possibilities within.  After bringing that vision to the surface, he brought in photos for our website.  Thanks for sharing, Vernon, it’s stunning.

Jim Sneed’s website — All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/) — is constantly growing and evolving.  Originally Judy’s Old Wood Toys, the name change came about to reflect the inclusion of metal toys.  400 pages of articles, more than 4200 photos, over 50 toy company histories — most contributed by researchers, collectors and family members of old toy companies.  You’d think that would be enough, but a planned merger with Richard Mueller of Antique Toy Collections (http://www.antiquetoycollections.info) later this year will more than double the scope of information.

New information is added daily to what is already the largest collection of Schoenhut circus photographs on the Web and the best Humpty Dumpty circus identification guide.  Collectors have contributed photos of some amazing collections that are a feast for the eyes.  Several museum collections are included.

Well-written and informative articles are categorized by subject and include photos, catalogs and advertisements, original and current estimated prices, dates produced, measurements, and more.  A vast storehouse of information on the companies and their toys.  ‘Dating your wooden toys’  along with a guide for researching your toy is invaluable.

Want to sell your collection?  Need repair or restoration service?  Need professional photos taken?  Jim covers all these subjects and offers several services.  You can sell your toys through his website or set up your own toy shop.  He also buys toys and has a ‘toys wanted’ list.  Many, many links with a summary of each, saving you a lot of time.

Visit All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/), you’ll find it very user friendly and easy to navigate.  Be sure to bookmark it — always something new — you’ll want to go back again and again.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’. ~ Victoria

“Yes, please,” I respond to the waiter holding a gargantuan pepper mill.  Like a rite of passage, everyone at the table stops momentarily to watch this pungent spice make its way to my ceasar salad.  While dried ground pepper has been around since antiquity, the peppermill we’re familiar with was created in 1842 by Peugeot of France.  Available now as manual or electric, made of ceramic, wood, acrylic, metal, etc. they all have the same basic inner workings.

Wood peppermills, specifically those designed by Jens Harald Quistgaard and made by Dansk Designs is the focus of Todd Pederzani’s website (http://www.tpederzani.com/pepper/Main_Page), although some other companies are covered.  The 1997 movie Peppermills starred Kate Walsh as a compulsive thief – but only of peppermills.  After viewing Todd’s site, can’t say as I blame her.

One would think a piece of wood made into a peppermill would have limitations, but the endless variety of unique and stunning designs defies that theory.  A separate section for variations of the grinding mechanisms and pepper fills is included.  Each mill shown has a load of information: description, maker, designer, mechanism, material, pepper fill, production dates, dimensions, and type.

More photos can be seen at GargoyleMT’s Flickr Set ‘Peppermills’.  There’s several salt and pepper shaker collector organizations, but none solely for peppermill collectors, that I could find.  Perhaps it’s time for these wood beauties to have their own cheerleading squad.