The organic nature of wood guides my creative direction.

My name is Matt Mackinnon and I am the proprietor of RealWoodBox.
I handcraft a range of wood products from sustainably harvested wood, obtained directly from local individual loggers and small wood mills in Southern Ontario. From cheese & charcuterie boards, chopping blocks to exotic wood pens & ornaments. All items are made by me, in my workshop and meticulously hand finished to meet my own high standards. I create only unique individual items that are not mass produced and are not on the main street.
I am always pleased to discuss individual requirements with customers - so please send me an email and let me know what you are looking for.

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In response to the current Covid19 Pandemic / economic climate we are in, it no longer possible to attend any more of the local fairs to sell our products as they are no longer running. To keep our product quality high and provide locally crafted products made from locally sourced materials, at a reasonable price, we need to move into the online direct to the customer model. While there are several services like Etsy that allow craft stores like myself to sell through, the business model takes too large a percentage cut and require an upfront cost to setup. As I am mainly setup for local business I am working out how to maintain the direct sale to the customer through online means. As our main customer base is around the Western Greater Toronto Area, I decided that it would be best to bring in online sales inhouse and sell direct to you through my own web site. I have a listing of items that are up for sale with a link beside them. Clicking on this link will allow you to send an email to me to let me know your interest in an item. Please include your email address and pertinant contact information so that I can get back to you and arrange the items sale. This will allow me to still maintain a one on one customer relation experiance like we would have at a local craft show.
We do appreciate your continued business.
Matt. Mackinnon
Click here for our online store catalog

Charcuterie & other boards

Eating is one of life's great pleasures. An event for all your senses. Presentation of the food can be just as important as the food itself.

Every board is unique in its own way as each piece of wood dictates its own shape, style and character.

I select boards based on the grain patterns and details inside the wood. Any knots and imperfections will be filled with food grade resin to stabilize the board. This resin can be tinted as well as colour pigments added to highlight the beauty inside the board.

All my charcuerie boards are sanded with an incremental water wash to raise the grain so I can achieve a silky smooth finish. I then seal these boards with natural bees wax and mineral oil to protect the board from staining when used.
By contrast, my cutting boards are left unfinished. I prefer not to apply any finish to cutting boards as it it facilitates cleaning and maintains the natural bacteria resistance found in untreated wood. The cutting boards are sanded to a moderate smooth finish to retain some grip between the board and the food items you are cutting. I make both standard cross grain and end grain style cutting boards in various sizes and species of wood.

Cartridge ink pens

I make several different styles of Parker Inc cartrige pens.
The Sierra pen has a metal front grip with a turned wood upper barrel. This is one of the more elegant styles of pen and is very well balanced making it easy to write with.
The Carbara pen by contrast is a shorter but thicker pen with a very long wooden barrel. This is quite a weighty pen and is more of a general purpose pen.
The standard Cigar pen is a two half twist pen with both wooden upper and lower barrels. Its thick stature maked is perfect for men with a well sized grip.

Fountain pens

There is nothing like the style and sopistication of a clasic ink filled fountain pen. They come in all shapes and sizes to fit everyone.
But what sets us appart from the everyday is our selection of wood. We carry a vast array of specialty rare and exotic woods. From tulip and canary wood to cocobolo, rosewood, red & black palm. Burls of all sorts. Big Leaf Maple, Buckeye and Madrone. Austrailian Red Mallee, Morrel & Red River Gum. Afzelia & Amboyna Burl. Even rare historical wood like 5400 year old bog oak from Ukraine, Ancient prehistoric Kauri timber is from forests buried during the last Ice Age. Olivewood from Bethlehem. All turned by hand to a perfect finish making your pen a one of a kind treasure.

Ornaments Jewelry & other small items

At the start of every December, the family ornament box comes out ready to decorate the house for one of the favorite times of the year... Christmas. Some of my favorite decorations are all from small craft shows that I have been to over the years. When I got my first wooden lathe, I started making my own ornaments to decorate the tree with. Made from rare and exotic woods, I started to make tiny bird houses to hang on the tree. This followed by snow angels, top hats and mini christmas trees. Christmas is a special time in my family, and remembered in each ornament as it takes its place on the tree.
With this years Covid lockdown, I thought to do something sort of different. From Aromatic Cedar, I crafted a small moose, a recognizable Canadian icon to hang on the tree. This gives off a fresh cedar smell that if hung on an artifical tree, could fool you into thinking you have a fresh cut spruce.

Bespoke and custom made items

Every so often I get a call to make something truely unique. Be it a special gift for someone, or a piece of furniture made to an exact specification that just cannot be found as an off shelf item. These bespoke items truely need a section of thier own.
I made a custom bedside watch & jewelry box with ambrosia maple with bloodwood accents. It has 3 removable boxes and a pull out drawer, all flocked in black velvet.