While humankind usually shows off its skill by working with 90 degree angles and uniformity of finish, Mother Nature does not. She gives us variety of color, unpredictable curves and unique marks all along the way. Note: These beauty marks are rare occurrences. Most boards do not contain them. One of my tasks as a woodworker is to celebrate nature’s personal touches by sanding and buffing my cutting boards to a finish close to the quality of an auto body’s. This is done to make more evident the work of nature. Although rare, sometimes these beauty marks are misunderstood and may even be thought of as flaws. But, like that scar on your knee cap, each mark tells a story. To the right is an example of an epoxy filled sap pocket.

Above is an amazing example of insect tunnles

Look closely into the polished surface. You obviously see the beautiful colors, swirls and arcs of the grain. But, you might also see green and gray cloud-like stains caused by minerals drawn up by the tree's root system from the earth. Dark dots or fingernail shaped lines are actually small pockets where sap has collected. I usually clear and fill them with Epoxy and polish them off, but I make no effort to hide the evidence of natures work. To me, the most intriguing details are the remnants of twigs trying to push their way from the tree’s core to the outside world. They may appear as dark and hazy or distinctly bright white spears piercing the curves of tree rings. Sometimes these twigs make it - sometimes they don’t. It's rare, but it’s all there to be seen if you just look for it.

Here are twigs attempting to push their way to the outside world.