In a world that’s increasingly filled with man-made materials—plastic, steel, and concrete—there remains something deeply resonant about wood. No matter how advanced our technology becomes or how industrialized our environments grow, humans have an inherent connection to wood. It speaks to something within us, calling us back to nature, to a time when we lived in harmony with the trees.
There’s a reason we seek out nature. We take walks in the woods, we plan vacations around seeing forests, and we plant trees in our backyards. There is something undeniably soulful about trees. They are living beings, and just like people, they possess distinct personalities shaped by their environment and experiences. A tree’s life is influenced by countless factors—weather, drought, storms, floods, sunlight, and even the passage of time itself. These influences leave their mark on the tree, shaping its growth, its rings, its branches, and ultimately, the wood it produces.
The soul of a tree is not something that can be replicated by artificial materials. No two trees are alike, just as no two snowflakes are the same. Every tree has a story, and that story is embedded in its wood. Whether it has weathered harsh winters or basked in the summer sun, each tree’s journey is recorded in its grains and knots. When we work with real wood, we’re not just using a building material—we’re engaging with a piece of nature, a living history.
For those who feel deeply connected to the earth, there’s a sense of familiarity and even reverence for trees. Hugging a tree, for some, creates an undeniable connection. You feel the life within it, the decades or centuries of existence that have shaped its being.
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As a woodworker, I am constantly aware of this connection. When I work with live edge wood or cross-sections, I can almost feel the tree’s soul in my hands. The rings of the wood tell its story—the seasons of growth, the years of struggle and triumph. In a sense, working with wood allows me to step inside the tree’s life, to experience the world as it saw it during its time standing tall.
This is what sets wood apart from other materials. It’s not just another resource to be used—it’s a medium that carries with it a life force, a soul. When a skilled craftsman works with wood, they are not just shaping it; they are translating the essence of the tree into something new. It’s a continuation of the tree’s journey, transforming it into something that can be admired and enjoyed for generations to come.
When I work with live edge wood or cross-sections, I can almost feel the tree’s soul in my hands.
Woodworking, for me, is more than just a craft. It’s about respecting the tree’s life and understanding that its journey isn’t over when it’s cut down. Instead, the tree finds new life in the hands of the woodworker, and the objects created from it carry the tree’s personality into homes and hearts. That’s the magic of wood—it has a soul, and when treated with care, it continues to speak, long after it has left the forest.
