Talbot Woodworks
The furniture workshop of Silas Talbot
Made to outlive us, the patient way.
4.9 from 180 reviews, since 2012
I spent nine years building wooden boats in Bath, where a joint either holds through a nor'easter or it doesn't. I opened this workshop to bring that same standard into the rooms people actually live in.
The shop is deliberately small. I draw every piece myself, and two seasoned cabinetmakers build it with me, by hand, without cutting corners.
Commissions start at $3,600.
Start a commission
Visit the showroom
I left the boatyard to build the furniture I always wanted to live with.
Silas Talbot
White oak
Cherry
Black walnut
What I make
2026 prices. Every piece drawn for its room.
Dining tables
Seating six to twelve, trestle or four-leg, in white oak, cherry or walnut.
from
$4,800
Chairs
Side and arm chairs with steam-bent backs, priced each.
from
$1,150
Beds
Platform or four-post, with a headboard cut by hand.
from
$3,900
Desks and writing tables
With dovetailed drawers that close on a cushion of air.
from
$3,600
Built-ins and library walls
Shelving and window seats, measured and fitted on site.
from
$9,500
Repair and restoration
Family pieces brought back, including ones we didn't make.
from
$350
A commission
One piece, drawn for your room. You work directly with Silas.
$3,600
Starting at
Start a commission
How it works
From the showroom
Finished pieces, ready this week. Same wood, same joinery.
$680
And up
Visit the showroom
How a piece gets made
Twelve to sixteen weeks from the first conversation to the day we carry it in. You see it at every stage, and you can come by and see it in the clamps.
01
Visit or call
Come to the showroom or call or text. The first consultation is free, and we'll measure anywhere within an hour of Portland.
02
Drawing and wood
Silas draws the piece by hand, you choose your boards in the lumber room, and you get one fixed price. A 50% deposit holds your place.
03
The build
Twelve to sixteen weeks at the bench, mortise and tenon and hand-cut dovetails. Progress photos every other Friday.
04
Delivery
We deliver and set up every piece ourselves anywhere in New England, free within 60 miles. Every joint carries a lifetime guarantee.
What owners say
4.9 from 180 reviews
We asked for a table that could take twelve at Thanksgiving and still feel right for two on a Tuesday. Silas drew it on the back of our floor plan in about four minutes. It's the best thing we own.
M
Meredith
→ Munjoy Hill
They fitted a library wall to a house with not one square corner in it. You can't see a gap anywhere.
J
Jamal
→ West End
Ben rebuilt my grandfather's rocker without losing a single scratch that mattered. It's back by the stove where it belongs.
R
Ruth
→ Yarmouth
The bed arrived on a Saturday, Silas and Nora set it up in twenty minutes, and they swept up after themselves.
P
Priyanka
→ Falmouth
Fourteen weeks felt long until I saw the drawers. Every one closes on a cushion of air.
O
Owen
→ Cape Elizabeth
Recent work
The Peaks Island table
Ten feet of white oak for a family who hosts every Sunday.
A library wall in cherry
Floor-to-ceiling shelving, fitted to a crooked 1890s house in the West End.
The Back Cove bed
A low platform bed with a headboard cut from one board.
14
years at the bench in East Bayside
640
pieces delivered across New England
4.9
stars from 180 reviews
100
miles, at most, from the sawmill to the shop
Before you ask
Anything else? Call or text (207) 555-0163. You'll get Silas, not a call center.
How long does a commission take?
Twelve to sixteen weeks from the day you approve the drawing. Showroom pieces can go home the same week.
How does paying work?
You get one fixed price once the drawing is approved. A 50% deposit holds your place, and the balance is due on delivery. Interest-free payments over 12 months are available on commissions over $5,000.
Do you deliver outside Maine?
We deliver and set up every piece ourselves anywhere in New England, free within 60 miles of Portland. Beyond that, we ship blanket-wrapped freight from $450.
Can you use wood from our own tree?
Yes. We mill it, sticker it and dry it before it ever reaches the bench, which adds about a year. It is worth it.
Do you repair furniture you didn't make?
We do, from $350. Bring it in or send us a few photos, and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth saving.
Can I see the workshop?
The showroom is open Tuesday to Saturday, and we give workshop tours most Saturdays at 11am. Mind the shavings.
Come by the showroom
Sit at the tables, open the drawers, and smell the oak through the workshop door. Free parking on the street.
64 Anderson St, Portland, ME 04101
Tue–Fri
10am–6pm
Sat
10am–4pm
Sun–Mon
Closed
Call or text (207) 555-0163
Email us
Pull up a chair
Start a commission with Silas
Start a commission
Tell us about the room and the piece. Silas answers every enquiry himself, usually within a day.
Send to Silas