“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years, and I don’t think I ever will again,” proclaims Ernest Hershberger, a fourth generation Amish wood craftsman and owner of Homestead Furniture in Mount Hope, Ohio. He’s referring to a 450-year old walnut tree he acquired from a customer’s back yard in Springfield, Missouri. The tree proved to embody a special combination of traits making it a rare find and true work of art, centuries in the making.
“It has all of the aspects of what I consider entirely unique,” Ernest explains. First, its age and size made the tree intriguing, at 450 years old and 72 inches across at the stump. Second, its lumber displayed a special marbled pattern of light and dark grains that were created each year. This was an attribute, Ernest explains, he admired immediately when the tree was cut. Third, the tree had a sizeable burl, two feet by three feet wide, produced by the first three branches all located 13-feet up from the base of the tree. Ernest explains this quality is special since it’s not common to have branches with that placement. The beauty of the burl comes to life once the wood is dried and finished. “This burly grain explodes with color when it’s finished,” explains Ernest. “It’s a very wavy, shimmery grain that’s vibrant with color. When you look at it you’re just in awe.”
The bark of the tree is an equally spectacular characteristic at three-inches thick, making it ideal for furniture with natural or live edge, where the tree bark is part of the design. All of these various qualities converging in one tree are what make this walnut tree from Missouri such an anomaly. “To have all of these qualities in one structure like this is uncommon,” Ernest says.
The first piece of furniture produced from the tree was a 13-foot live edge dining room table commissioned by a customer. It seats up to eight around its rustic edges and exudes warmth, depth and character.
For the commercial realm, Ernest is producing a 24-foot live edge conference table. Made from two slabs, the table has an eye-catching fanned shape and darker stain. Reserving the sale of this piece for the right customer, he says, “I see this as a one-of-a-kind conference table. It is an absolute ‘wow’ and it belongs in the right place.”
It’s another example of how Ernest is striving to honor this treasure of a tree, and his heritage. He concludes, “I grew up in lumber, I get very excited about it, and this is a very unique tree. With the care we’ve given it, if it’s properly maintained in someone’s home or office, it can live on.”