One of the most rewarding things that I get to do as a craftsman is being able to take a raw log to a finished product or piece. Hawaii is home to a wide variety of wood species both native and introduced. I am a huge proponent for protecting and preserving our natural recourses but on occasion trees do have to come down. Sometimes it happens naturally, some times it is the removal of an invasive species, and sometimes it's just the unfortunate result of a losing battle against encroaching development... What ever the reason may be, having the ability to process that material and save it from ending up in the landfill is something I enjoy very much... Even if it is back-breaking work!
The beauty of sourcing material this way is that each piece has a story, an origin, a connection to a place or time. This story starts long before a piece of furniture has been crafted, or the tree from whence the wood was sourced was even cut down. I don't assume everyone draws these connections with the stool sitting at their kitchen counter or the coffee table they put their feet up on at the end of each day but I do find it fascinating and it is something I try to draw from in my work.
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