BEGINNING
Rift Wood Company started out like many companies do…a guy has an idea while working in his garage. Back in 2015, long before the beard came along, that guy was me!
NEW IDEAS
My idea was for a simpler, sleeker wallet for everyday carry; but unlike traditional wallets…it was going to be made of wood! Like most people I knew, my wallet was about 1-1/2 inches thick, filled mostly with useless receipts, random membership cards and a few cracked credit cards.
THE PLAN
With a scrap piece of Walnut left over from another project, limited tools and an obscene amount of sandpaper, I went to work. Weeks later, after dozens of failed designs, I finally came up with a winner. Very similar to the wood wallets we’re selling today, it had no joints, no seams and used zero glue; just 100% real wood.
WALLET#1
It wasn’t long before I launched my first website to sell online. Since that day, many things have changed, but the enjoyment I experienced back in 2015 lives on through each and every wood wallet that falls into the hands of one of our happy customers!
THE BARN
All of our manufacturing currently takes place in a 135 year old, 5,000 ft² barn that was restored and converted into a workshop & design studio in 2018.
CARVING
Shown above, blocks of wood are seen going through the first manufacturing stage; card slots are carved out by a custom machine built by us.
SHAPING
Once the card slots are removed, the blocks of wood are trimmed down further, just slightly larger than their ultimate size. The wallet then begins taking shape.
FINISHING
Once the wallets have taken their final shape, the detail work begins. Every square inch is combed over and sanded by hand, ensuring every corner, crevice and surface is smoothed to perfection. Once they’ve been waxed and buffed, they’re ready for the box.
PACKING