During the long winter months, as their fields lay under cover of snow, Polish men spent their free time working wood. The first products of this community were objects of everyday use: wooden houses, furniture, coat hangers, spoons, and large chests to store clothes and bedding. Wooden objects were bartered between local families, and in the course of time some artists achieved prominence, earning them nicknames that were recorded for posterity.

Ornamented dowry chests were another popular product of this tradition. A bride's dowry consisted of a variety of household objects given to her along with a large wooden chest decorated with traditional symbols of love and prosperity - birds, flowers and hearts. After marriage, families used these chests to hold their most precious belongings - money, jewelry, and important papers.