There are many mature trees along the edge of the pond where I live. Not long ago , in tree time, most of the pond was a meadow. With the latest dam (1905) , the meadow turned to pond. The edge of a pond can be a healthy place for a tree, lots of sun and water. The wind will be steadier though, and the direction varies.
The trees bend in the wind and take on a growth habit, leaning with the direction of the prevailing wind. The sunnier side gets more foliage too, adding another stress . In a place where the wind changes a lot the tree will develop a twist. You can see it sometimes in the bark .
It can make for wood with some very beautiful and complex grain. The milling and working of it can be tricky . Some parts of the tree will grow under different pressure than others, setting up tensions that can be released as surrounding wood, that had braced it steady , is cut away , usually in an uneven fashion. Running through a saw, the plank can bend toward or away from blade and fence . A straight looking plank can take on a bow or twist. If is strong enough it can stop a saw with its friction or spring apart halfway through a cut. It's hard to predict. Surprises are not welcome on table saws .
Milling logs into planks is the first step, it's always exciting to see what you might have. Sometimes you will find evidence of one time trauma, limbs pruned or storm broken. There are viruses and diseases that will affect the wood as well. I've sawn through joints in timber, angled knees and Y- shaped crotches that have an outer substance of strong , bright healthy wood that totally encloses an open , scarred over hollow. They have interesting possible uses.
The grain follows small wounds and creates patterns that echo out, not so much like pond ripples as the way sound follows paths through crowded rooms. Some things are clearly heard, others are mumbles . The grain will thicken and tighten where growth is slow. When I see these potentially interesting pieces, in a downed tree or possible firewood, it's been my habit to try and save them . At some point I will mill them down , often first with a chain saw.
Every cut reveals a new plank , a new pattern. Every plank will have a similar color but the grain and growth rings will be different. Sometimes it's subtle and sometimes not. They don't have to be flashy , brilliant or beautiful to be interesting . As you go through the tree you see it's history. You see when things changed in the habitat and accidents and injuries and the reactions of growth . They aren't temporary, you may not see from the bark but every day of sun or storm or sickness is drawn in the substance of the tree . You carry this into the shop.
The rough milling shows the outline, the large motion of the grain and growth and scars. The planer and joiner are next. These take the rough cut to smooth and what was suggested or implied becomes more apparent. The details of how one year works on the basis of the year before, and sets up the next growth season show in more explicit detail . The grain lines show the effect of sun and wind , the growth rings show the health and severity of seasons. The smaller aberrations appear, that before , in rough cut , could only be seen as part of the larger echo, the ripples fading out over time , sometimes leaving islands of obscuranta .
Some grace you see right off, even at a distance . Sometimes that grace breaks down on tighter inspection . What flowed as pattern shows as repetition of break and re growth . The healing yields both bright glow and depth in shadows . The most dense woven strength can enclose faults and crumbling hollows . Long fair lines stand resilient , firm flex, while tightened swirls resist any other than frighteningly sharp steel edges.
Oil on the finish makes this all jump out at you. All the suggestions are now declared. All the contrasts in shade and color and the distinction of lines . It takes time . I've never been able to make it pay . But of course I won't let it go . All sawdust looks the same .
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