The History

Materials

The primary material used in the MTWW furniture is harvested from a managed area of corsican pines in the Southern Alps. Originally planted as a shelter belt about 100 years ago, this clan of trees was redistributed across the landscape during a wind event...thus earning them the new label of "wildings". 

They have recently been recaptured and harvested on a sustainable schedule, and have also become the subjects of international research with regards to the management of wilding pines.  Due to the high density of trees per hectare, they're not the fattest of the lot, but they do boast a high strength-to-weight advantage because of their tight rings and tiny limbs, (knots are few and far between).

Although Kiwi born and of spanish heritage, these corsican pines have grown to closely resemble the North American "lodgepole".  Lodgepole was appropriately named after the "tepee" poles that kept Chief Joseph and family one step ahead of the U.S. Calvary on their quest for the Canadian border. 

Tenon-Mortise Joinery

As history would have it, these lodgepoles also proved well-suited for the building of log homes and furniture in the Old West.  Without the luxury of glues and fasteners, "tenon-mortise" technology was utilised by early pioneers as a primary construction joint.  Although we secure our furniture with the safest and most effective adhesives available, our tenon-mortise designs have often proven structurally sound during the "dry" fitting stage, prior to the application of glue.

The Style

The influences feeding into the Montana Woodworks flavour are a combination of Eastern and Western heritages.  Like many things in the New Zealand culture, they have mixed on this unique island to form a unique and original style of its own.