Every Kindred Wooden piece is made-to-order and personalized. Here's exactly how the process works — from the moment you type a name at checkout to the moment your keepsake arrives.
The five steps
Enter your names, date, and any short dedication at checkout
Each product page has personalization fields. Type them exactly as you want them carved — capitalization, spelling, and format are preserved. If you're not sure yet, you can leave the fields blank and we'll email you within a business day.
We confirm and — for longer inscriptions — send a mock-up
For a standard "Name & Name / DATE" layout, we go straight to carving. For longer dedications, sonnets, or unusual layouts, we email you a mock-up showing exactly how it will sit on the wood. No carve happens until you approve.
Your block of walnut is selected and hand-shaped
One craftsman picks a single block of North American black walnut with grain that fits the sculpture. The form is hand-shaped — no CNC assembly-line uniformity, no glued panels. This step takes 2–3 days.
Names and date are deep-engraved, then charcoal-burned
Letters are cut roughly 1.5 mm into the wood — deep enough to feel, deep enough to last centuries. Then charcoal is burned into the engraving so the letters read black against the walnut brown, permanently, no ink required. This is why the text on our pieces doesn't fade.
Finished with food-safe oil, packed, and shipped
A thin layer of food-safe natural oil is worked into the piece to enhance the grain. It's then packed in a heavy-duty protective gift box and shipped worldwide with tracking. Total time from order to delivery: usually 10–16 days.
Character limits and format tips
- Most pieces fit 24 characters per line, in 1 or 2 lines.
- Ampersand (&) reads cleaner than "and" for couple names.
- Dates like "JUNE 14, 2024" or "06.14.24" both work — pick the one that matches the tone of the piece.
- All-caps engraves crisper than lowercase, but we can do either.
What can be personalized (and what can't)
Yes: Names, dates, short dedications, monograms, coordinates, wedding song lyrics (short), custom initials.
No: Very long inscriptions (over 60 characters total), logos, photographic likenesses, non-Latin scripts (we can carve Latin, but Chinese/Arabic/Hebrew scripts are not offered at this time).
The rule is simple: if we can't carve it well, we won't carve it. We'll tell you honestly and refund your order rather than send you something that isn't up to the piece.
What if I make a typo?
Email owen@kindredwooden.com within 24 hours of ordering and we can update the personalization. After 24 hours the piece may already be in production. If we discover the error is ours, we replace it at no cost.
Made slow. Meant to outlast us.