Your sadhu board has arrived. Before you stand on it for the first time, spend ten minutes inspecting it. This is partly to catch a shipping issue before the return window closes, partly to learn what to look for so you can tell normal wood character from a defect, and partly because the first time you really see a handmade object is when you slow down and look at it.
This checklist works for any solid-wood balance tool, not just boards from our Kostopil workshop.
The visual sweep
Take the board out of its packaging and put it on a flat table under good light. Walk around it. Look at the top, the bottom, the four edges. You are looking for:
- Surface finish: smooth, evenly oiled, no patches of dry wood or pooled finish.
- Colour: even tone with natural variation. Solid wood has stripes and figure. That is not a flaw.
- Edges: rounded over consistently. No sharp arises (corners) where the edge meets the face.
- Nail rows: straight, evenly spaced, perpendicular to the board edges.
- Brass nails: bright or with a light factory patina, uniform.
If anything looks visibly wrong, photograph it before doing anything else and email the photos to us. Catching things at this stage makes any fix or replacement easy.
The flatness test
Place the board top-side down on a flat surface. Press each corner in turn. If any corner rocks more than a hair, the board has a slight cup or twist. A flat board does not rock at all.
A very small wobble (less than a millimetre) is within normal tolerance for handmade boards and will not affect practice. A wobble you can clearly see is a flaw. Photograph it from a low angle that shows the gap and contact us.
Flip the board over and repeat for the underside. Both faces should be flat.
The nail test
Run your palm slowly across the nail rows. Every nail head should feel the same height. A nail that sticks up higher feels like a bump under your palm; a nail that sits lower feels like a small dip.
For a foot board, all nail heights need to be within roughly half a millimetre of each other. The whole effect of the practice depends on even pressure across the foot.
Press each nail in turn with your thumb. None should move. None should click.
This is the most important test on the whole list. A handful of high or low nails is a manufacturing slip we want to know about.
The sound test
Hold the board by one corner and tap the centre lightly with a knuckle. A solid board gives a clear, slightly resonant sound. A board with a hidden split, a delamination, or a void underneath sounds dull or rattly.
Try this on different parts of the board. Differences are normal — the nail zone and the bare wood zone sound different — but the bare-wood areas should sound consistent with each other.
What is normal, not a flaw
Solid wood comes with character. The following are all completely normal:
- Grain figure. Stripes, swirls, ray fleck, occasional small knots. These are signs of solid wood. A perfectly uniform board would be plywood or MDF with a veneer.
- Colour variation between boards. Each tree, each board within a tree, is slightly different. Two boards from the same workshop will not be identical twins.
- Small surface marks from oiling. The rag leaves micro-streaks visible at the right angle. They disappear in days of use.
- The smell of oil. A freshly oiled board smells like the oil for a couple of weeks, then like wood.
- Slight brass tarnish. Brass starts changing the moment it leaves the polishing wheel.
What is a flaw
- A crack through the surface, especially one that crosses the grain rather than running with it.
- A nail that wobbles or sits visibly higher or lower than its neighbours.
- A finish that is sticky or wet to the touch after a week sitting in the box.
- A board that rocks on a flat surface.
- Mould spots, especially fuzzy white or green ones (rare but possible after long transit through humid climates).
- Splintered edges, chipped corners, or visible damage from shipping.
If you find any of these, message us within seven days of receipt. We will sort it out.
The first careful stand
Once your board passes inspection, stand on it for the first time on a stable surface, near something to hold for balance. Start with weight on the arches, where the nail density is lower. Build up to standing with weight on the balls of the feet over the next few sessions.
If you are new to standing practice, our balance board collection includes some entry-level options that are gentler for the first weeks. The full tool range covers everything from starter boards to advanced sizes for daily practitioners like founder Eugene Oliynyk, who stands on a 20mm board every morning.
The point of inspection
You are buying a handmade object that will outlast most things you own. The ten minutes you spend inspecting it teach you what to look for over its lifetime — the patterns of wood movement, the patina of the brass, the way the finish develops. You will see the board more clearly forever for having looked at it once with intent.