Whitehurst Custom Woodworking

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United States
Raleigh, NC
Whitehurst Custom Woodworking

HEIRLOOM QUALITY FURNITURE. "Discovery furniture at it's finest!"

Whitehurst Custom Woodworking specializes in handcrafted, heirloom quality furniture.

06/18/2026

I’m more than pleased on how the seats turned out. Ergonomic curves and a beautiful shape to complement the style of the chair. With a little sanding and refinement, these will finally be ready for glue-up and finish.

06/14/2026

I get asked about finishes almost every commission I take and over the years my stance has changed on this topic. Since the invention of polyurethane, there has been this push to “bomb proof” your wood furniture. We’ve been sold on zero maintenance as the best option. However, like many things in life, it sounds too good to be true and it is. Plastic finishes can scratch just as easily as a raw wood surface, maybe easier actually because a scratch on plastic shows up white. And there in lies the big lie. Yes, a plastic finish will resist water virtually forever, that is until it gets scratched. How many of us have seen water rings on our furniture? That only comes from moisture seeping into the cracks of the finish and becoming trapped under the plastic coating. That finish will continue to fail in this way until you repair the finish which can only be done properly by applying a coat across the entire surface. Oil and wax, on the other hand, resists water and stains by soaking into the wood fibers itself, rather than sitting on top. While moisture may eventually absorb into the wood if left long enough, the moisture isn’t trapped and will wick away. Refreshing the finish after hard use is as easy as wiping on some more oil. Just think, when’s the last time you’ve seen a water ring on a cutting board. No wood item in your home gets more abuse than a cutting board. It’s exposed to water, stains from tomatoes and berries, fats from meats etc. to maintain them, we wash with soap and water and rub on more oil when the wood looks dry. My cutting board shown here is 8 years old and has never even been re-sanded. One pic shows the top and the other the bottom which looks almost as good as the day I made it. So, the next time the marketers want to sell you on a “bomb proof” “zero maintenance” finish, just remember there’s no such thing. It will look good for a while, but ALL finish requires maintenance at some point. The question is how hard do you want to work, and how much skill does it take to repair it. If you want to get even crazier, my last picture is of a display case built by my grandmother when I was a boy. It has no finish at all! Just pine and all its glory.

06/12/2026

…progress on the Helen Dining Chair

05/17/2026

Beyond craftsmanship…

At the heart of my business are the people I serve. Excellent customer service is standard, and beyond expert craftsmanship, you can expect a professional, caring experience. I’m thrilled my client loves her new table!

“Jeremy built a beautiful cherry wood table for us! He was extremely responsive and easy to work with from start to finish. It was obvious he truly enjoys what he does and takes pride in his work. We couldn’t be happier with the experience.”
-Toni

05/12/2026

I’m loving this round keepsake box. The artwork was designed by my client as a dungeon and dragons marriage gift. With the theme including the moon, I designed the lid to pivot on a pin so the interior of the box is exposed like the phases of the moon. Made of Walnut with the lid featuring beautiful book matched crotch figure grain. Lined in velvet flocking for safe keeping of valuables.

05/11/2026

I'm excited to share this recently completed version of my farmhouse pedestal table. This single pedestal design allows easy access to the bay window seat in my clients home providing beauty AND function. 6" radius corners soften the look of the top and provide a comfortable place to sit in the nook. This piece is made of solid Cherry throughout, joined with XL mortise and tenons and reinforced with structural lag screws. Finished with OSMO LED oil for a natural look and feel with great water protection.

"Discover furniture at it's finest" at Whitehurst Custom Woodworking!

04/03/2026

Introducing the Helen Dining Collection. Robust structure meets elegance and refinement. The classic trestle design is elevated with gentle curves and softened edges. Converging profiles create an optical illusion of movement in the feet and table edges for a contemporary, organic look. The table top features functional breadboard ends keeping the top flat over time. The bench features wedged through mortise & tenons securing the seat to the base.

The natural warm red and brown tones of the Cherry give this table a classic inviting color, and the hard wax oil finish gives this table a lustrous appeal.

03/16/2026

Hand planing the table top ensures a flatter surface than sanding alone. My jack plane takes off the high spots until it’s flat when I switch to the smoothing plane for a finer cut. I finish up with light sanding to remove any leftover plane mark for a flat smooth table top.

03/06/2026

I made good progress on the bench for the dining set this week. This is giving me a good idea of what the table is going to look like and I’m getting really excited to see it all come together!

03/01/2026

Table base and bench base progress…

These will be joined together with a curved trestle and both will have tops that continue with the subtle curves and shaping.

Address

Raleigh, NC

Telephone

+19198183761

Website

https://whitehurstwoodworking.com/

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