Custom furniture, boards and boxes, built from the wood you choose.
Ladybug Luck Woodworks is David Akilov’s shop in Huntington, on Long Island. Tell me what you want built, pick from 21 woods, and I’ll make it to order.
Cherry. The biggest, fastest change. It darkens within weeks, turns medium orange in a year and deep red-orange-brown in 2 to 5 years, then keeps slowly deepening for decades. Anything left in one spot on a new piece (a lamp, a vase) can leave a lighter patch for a few months.
More about cherryColor over time
Approximate, in a normally lit room. Illustrated grain; real boards vary.
What I build
Every piece is made to order, in the size and wood you pick.
Cutting and serving boards
Cutting boards, serving trays and charcuterie boards in food-safe woods, finished with oil and wax.
Furniture
Tables, benches, shelves and storage, built to fit your space and finished in natural wax or semi-gloss lacquer.
Boxes and keepsakes
Jewelry and keepsake boxes, with touches like a velvet lining or a built-in music box.
Something else
Have an idea that doesn’t fit a category? Describe it and I’ll tell you what’s possible.
How a project works
You’ll know the price and timeline before any work starts.
Tell me your idea
What it is, roughly how big, where it will live and how you’ll use it. Photos and sketches help.
Choose the wood and finish
Use the wood guide, or ask me for options that suit the use and your budget.
Get a quote
You’ll get a price and a timeline by email.
I build it
Your piece is made by hand in my shop. Then we set up pickup or delivery.
From the shop
A few recent pieces, and the woods they’re made from.
The wood guide
Clients choose the wood for every piece, so I wrote a plain-language guide to 21 of them: how hard each one is, how its color changes over the years, which are safe for food, and which look great together.
About the shop
Ladybug Luck Woodworks is David Akilov’s woodworking shop in Huntington, New York.
I build furniture, cutting boards and keepsakes for clients, and every client chooses the wood their piece is made from. That choice decides how hard the piece is, how it ages and whether it can touch food. So I wrote the wood guide on this site to explain each wood in plain language, from the dent test behind a hardness number to why cherry darkens while walnut gets lighter.
Questions
Something else on your mind? Email me.
How much does a custom piece cost?
It depends on the size, the design, the wood and the finish. The wood guide rates each wood’s cost from $ to $$$$$, so you can see how your choice moves the price. Send me your idea and I’ll give you a quote.
How long does it take?
It depends on the piece and what’s already on my bench. You’ll get a timeline with your quote, before any work starts.
Wax or lacquer: which finish should I choose?
A natural wax finish looks and feels like bare wood, with a soft, low shine, and it’s easy to touch up at home. A semi-gloss lacquer dries hard on the surface, makes colors richer and wipes clean, so it stands up better to spills and daily use. Anything that touches food gets a food-safe oil-and-wax finish. More on the two finishes
Which woods are safe for cutting boards?
Hard maple, black walnut and cherry are the top choices. The guide marks every wood as ideal for food, good for food, serving pieces only, or not for food. How the food ratings work
Have a piece in mind?
Tell me what you’d like built and which woods you’re considering. I’ll reply by email.