Meir, a wood carving artisan: “Due to the relatively dry climate in Israel, olive wood from here is more figured than from other parts of the world, and the older the tree the wilder the grain pattern. The wood in this table is between 700-800 years old and very rich in grain pattern.
Olive trees in Israel are protected species and without express permission from the Office of Agriculture it is unlawful to cut them down. But of course pruning is permissible and often necessary.
A few years ago, a friend of mine was hired to prune some very old trees in the Galilee whose branches were as large as an ordinary tree trunk. He I asked if I was interested in them. The leg of this table is one of those brunches. The tabletop is two slabs of a tree trunk - which had to be removed a few years earlier – also about 800 years old.
For me it is an exciting experience to work with a rare piece of ancient wood, survivor and witness of many cultures and often-turbulent history of this land. I save all the scraps and it is even hard to part with the sawdust. Maybe this notch here was made by Napoleon…."
Dimensions: The table stands about 28" tall.
The table top is approximately 41" X 21" X 2 1/2".
It weighs 56kg.
The woodcarving workshop is one of a complex of workshops in the Arts & Crafts Center of Neot Semadar.
Have any questions?
Contact the shop owner.
