Get to Know some more about Woodnbits
Solid Natural Timber
Kiaora,
My name is Russell and I am a professional woodworker based in Ashburton, Canterbury.
Originally from the Northern part of the West Coast, Karamea, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Some of my timber collection has been curing in my workshop for nearly 35 years and now and I am finally turning it into kitchen ware and chopping boards. This timber is extremely hard to obtain now and has a unique colour and grain texture.
I have a passion for natural, sustainable timber that translates perfectly into my products.
All of my pieces are handmade and will vary slightly in colors and dimensions. They are coated in my own recipe of food safe natural oil and waxes which provide a lovely sheen to the timber which showcases the unique colours.
I also sell pottles of this board conditioner so please ask if you want to keep your boards in great condition.
Sometimes recycled, but mostly brand new, my materials are natural and a great use of often discarded materials that may well be bound for the landfill.
The adhesive I use is FDA (American regulator) approved and waterproof.
All of my products have been hand finished by myself and have a little bit of uniqueness that separates my products from mass produced products. No plastic, no metal, just natural timber, oils and beeswax.
I have a zest for cooking, and natural timber, so I have blended these passions into a range of products that reflect my values of respect and practicality.
In terms of Provenance, please ask me and I can tell you where your materials are from and what species they are.
Rural Life
For 10 years I owned devloped 20 acres of bare land into a lifestyle block in the Oxford area.
We planted hundreds of native trees and pines as shelters. I built the house and outbuildings and settled into the rural life and started a family.
We had chickens, cats, dogs, sheep, cattle and even a goat called Coco.
This is where I started making chicken Houses and dog kennels. Firstly from necessity and then "Woodnbits" was born.
I used my experiences to design and build strong, practicle and durable chicken houses and dog kennels.
As the children grew I started making Solid Natural Macrocarpa Sandpits and selling them throughout New Zealand as well.
We now live in Rolleston and still have the kids, dog and cat but the others stayed in the country
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We moved to Rolleston, Canterbury in 2016 and settled into our lovely house.
After fully landscaping and installing an in-ground swimming pool we set about to building my "Woodnbits" workshop.
Now fully complete and big enough (just) to make everthing we need to do.
This has allowed me to access my native timber I have had in storage for nearly 25 years.
So now Woodnbits makes a huge range of cutting and chopping boards and various kitchen utensils as well as the chicken coops and sandpits.
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Town
Beckons
In 2024 I moved to Ashburton and set up the workshop.
I still serve the Christchurch area, North Canterbury and now Mid and South Canterbury.
Now
Currently I am in Ashburton and Woodnbits is going gangbusters.
Added to the range of items availabe are dog kennels and food bowl stands as well as 3 styles of Chicken Houses.
I often get requests to make custom items from Butchers Blocks to alternative designs of chicken coops and dog kennels
We have stalls at a small selection of Fetes and markets throughout Canterbury
Eftpos and afterpay are available
We also access a courier service that distributes our products throughout New Zealand.
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