All our timber is sourced either from local trees or from willow specialists. Choosing mature trees (between 15-30 yrs old), cutting them into rounds, then splitting out the clefts is an occasional luxury, as the majority of our time is dedicated to the actual making processes. The bulk of our willow therefore comes from willow specialists but each cleft is still selected by Andrew Kember by hand.

The cleft has already been split from the round (section of the trunk), rough sawn, the ends waxed and then air or kiln dried to reduce the moisture content. The waxing is essential as it prevents quick moisture loss from the end grain which could cause cracks or drying 'cones'. Any clefts suffering from these cones are filtered out of production, or, if finished, sold only as sub-standards directly from the workshop once the blade has been repaired.