(Instrumental music) Narrator 01:04 The trees of Hawaiʻi are a part of the land, a living tissue that grows up to share and to give food for insects.

A home for birds and shade to man.

Wildlife turns to trees with only their instincts to guide them.

Pecking and poking at the closest available branch.

But man makes choices determined by his reason and guided by his society.

His choice among trees may be affected by what he values in them.

Their wood, for instance.

Wood serves man faithfully in his many purposes.

It may be cut.

It yields to the saw.

(Saw buzzing) It may be turned to assume the shape that man imposes upon it.

Extensive sanding refines its texture.

(Whirring) While polish and pressure reveal its true treasure, the grain.

The life of a tree is revealed in its grain.

Grain is given by age, species, climate and the demands of gravity.

The outstanding grain of many Hawaiian woods offers artistic possibilities to the woodworker.

The milo tree contains a heavy wood with a finely textured grain.

It is believed to have been introduced here by the Hawaiians.

Formerly considered sacred by the Tahitians, who used its leaves in religious ceremonies, the Hawaiians valued its shade, and once planted several milos around the Waikīkī household King Kamehameha I.

The milo is a rich brown wood capable of taking a fine polish.

The Hawaiians found uses for milo and other woods in their drums.

Their music sticks.

Their spears.

And in carvings of their war god, Kū.

Among the first elaborate uses of Hawaiian woods were the creations of experienced European craftsmen.

The 19th century brought to Hawaii skilled artisans who had been displaced by the factories of industrialization.

Royal commissions were their chief source of income.

This four poster koa bed was built for Kamehameha III, who brought it with him from Lahaina in the 1840s when he moved the Hawaiian capitol to Honolulu.

It now rests in the Queen Emma Summer Palace, where the Daughters of Hawaii have sponsored a book on Hawaiian furniture written by author Irving Jenkins.

Irving Jenkins/Author 04:42 The bed was the one shared piece of furniture between the ancient Hawaiian culture and Western culture and the Hawaiians love their big beds.

They loved them for comfort and of course they were used for prestige.

Narrator 04:53 This cradle was probably designed by King Kamehameha III in collaboration with a highly skillful German craftsmen.

It represents a supreme triumph of artistry in the use of Hawaiian woods.

Irving Jenkins/Author 05:05 It was commissioned by Kamehameha IV in 1858 in anticipation of the birth of his son.

It's made up of four different Hawaiian woods and it cost $600.

Now you could buy a small house for $600 in 1858.

In this rocker, we see a very different piece of furniture than what we've been looking at.

Because of its immediate and continued popularity in Hawaiʻi, it is this style of furniture that residents consider classic Hawaiian furniture and it is this style of furniture they buy when they want to buy a piece of heritage koa furniture.

There is only one real style change in Hawaiian furniture and that took place after the turn of the century, with, when Mission-style furniture was introduced.

And because of its isolation, I think that Hawaiʻi was slow to change, and perhaps the social factors with the sugar industry, the new immigrants coming in, is what really spurred this or allowed this new furniture to be introduced and accepted so easily.

Narrator 06:16 Continuing popularity is revealed by the efforts of Martin & MacArthur.

This Honolulu-based woodworking firm, was the first to take the lead in drawing attention to the wood of Hawaiʻi's finest native timber tree - koa.

The acacia koa tree is endemic to Hawaiʻi, it exists nowhere else in the world.

As a furniture and cabinet wood, it is highly prized for its strength, stability, and decorative grain.

Koa grain can be interlocked and wavy, it may even assume a curly or fiddleback appearance.

Its color varies from tree to tree.

It may be pale blonde, or deep chocolate brown, frequently with a reddish tone.

John Martin and Doug MacArthur have built a business using koa wood for their traditional furniture.

John Martin/Martin & MacArthur 07:19 I think that koa in the islands is, is like the history of Hawaiʻi.

All of the fine furniture in the past in Hawaiʻi has always been out of koa.

The beauty of koa is not only the fact that it has a very high grain figure, but also that koa is the largest varying colored wood in the world.

It comes in stripe, curly, birdseye, light, dark, ribbon, figured, plain and quite frequently this can even vary through the same tree.

Now due to the fact that koa is so figured, it also makes it one of the more difficult woods to work with.

Because where conventional furniture building is done primarily by surfacing with surface planers and then sanding, the surface planer is practically useless in working of koa because of the, the grain structure chipping so drastically.

For the quality to be in a piece of furniture, it’s highly important that it be sanded off to all stages of manufacturing.

Right down to the finish, has to be sanded completely.

Otherwise it loses its, it loses its beauty and it loses its value.

Doug MacArthur/Martin & MacArthur 08:51 John takes pride and everything that he does.

And then we try to follow up as Martin & MacArthur, as a company, to make sure that piece that they have in their home or their office is a piece that will last them longer than they'll last.

John Martin/Martin & MacArthur 09:08 In our procedure manufacturing furniture, we take a great deal of time picking the wood so that there is no staining involved in the graining.

We use natural finishes.

Primarily oil finishes on our koa pieces.

It has a life of its own, its vibrance.

If you start to put stain on it, you mute all those colors down.

So koa should be used primarily with clear, clear finishes so that you don't distort those colors.

Narrator 09:44 Like koa, the ʻōhiʻa tree is a native species to Hawaiʻi.

It has played an important role in Hawaiian legends, where it was regarded as sacred with many idols carved out of it.

The ʻōhiʻa is the most abundant tree in Hawaiʻi, possessing bands of attractive color.

Finding ʻōhiʻa wood with red, black and orange spiral grain is not uncommon.

ʻŌhiʻa wood is rarely used among island craftsmen, but cabinetmaker Roger Worldie is an exception.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 10:19 And there's so many beautiful exotic woods on the island, which there's, very few people are using.

Narrator 10:28 Roger Worldie is ever alert to the possibilities of Hawaiian woods, such as the rainbow shower tree.

A hybrid, the rainbow shower is originally from Java.

Emanating a pungent odor when cut the rainbow shower wood is densely hard and difficult to work, but maybe useful in frame and panel designs.

The rainbow shower tree has also been called golden mahogany.

But for a look at genuine mahogany trees, one has only to walk down Kalākaua just outside of Waikīkī.

Roger has also found uses for the kamani tree.

Growing on all of the islands, the kamani was once used by the Hawaiians for medicinal purposes.

Its first known use in cabinetry was in India, where it was known as Alexandrian laurel.

But the woodworker must be cautious for the kamani sawdust is toxic, unlike the false kamani or tropical almond, which contains a koa-like hardwood.

Trees which are attractive on the outside may not contain wood suitable for cabinetry.

The African tulip, known for its brilliantly colored flowers, bears only a plain wood.

Since many of the more unusual Hawaiian woods are unavailable commercially, Roger Worldie frequently makes his own lumber from logs.

(Machine sawing) Such logs might be purchased from wood cutters, or the result of a windfall from a hurricane.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 12:29 When we do open the log, it's always a surprise, it's like a precious stone.

(Machine whirring) Narrator 12:52 With luck, a rare log of Hawaiian wood may yield a grain capable of a mirror image.

This is known as book matching.

Precision is the hallmark of Roger Worldie's craftsmanship.

When he cuts, he always cuts to align.

These exacting standards give his pieces a longer life.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 13:15 People don't change my furniture like they change carpets or drapes.

Narrator 13:20 The quest for accuracy is closely allied with form.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 13:26 Proportions are very important with furniture making.

Narrator 13:28 Since Roger often works with rare Hawaiian wood, he strives to minimize waste, which gives his ʻōhiʻa tables an elegant appearance.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 13:39 There's so much material that's being used and wasted.

Tremendous amount of clunky kind of furniture which four inch thick tabletops are not necessary the tree is very rare and becoming more scarce.

So consequently, what I like to do is use the wood to its utmost advantage and sculpt the wood, make it proportionate, make it look and feel good, and something you live with.

It's not something that you're just going to toss out when you get tired of it.

Narrator 14:14 Woodworking machines can be very dangerous.

Unceasing attention and a weary respect are required when operating high speed machinery capable of making 40,000 cuts per minute.

(Machine whirring) Precision cutting allows for accurate joint work.

(Machine whirring) Roger Worldie/Craftsman 14:45 In all cabinetry the primary structure is held together by what we call jointry.

Narrator 14:53 In framing the basic structure of a cabinet, Roger relies on handmade wooden joints rather than on nails.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 15:02 Wood will not glue to itself without some kind of spline, some kind of dovetail, some kind of peg.

Narrator 15:09 The wedged mortise and tenon joint holds firmly without glue.

The peg mortise and tenon joint is ingeniously strong and an ancient origin.

The dovetail joint was once commonly used.

It lasts a lifetime and is one of the strongest joints known.

The three corner miter joint is highly precise.

It holds together this Japanese tansu which is composed of milo and koa wood.

It contains 156 individual pieces.

Having studied woodworking in Japan, Roger Worldie applied the techniques he learned in a wide variety of forms.

In this chest of drawers, he displays the richness of contrasting ʻōhiʻa wood.

Giving the natural grain prominence rather than concealing it is a lesson he learned from the East.

Another lesson from a renowned Persian poet taught him the value of painstaking craftsmanship.

Roger Worldie/Craftsman 16:36 This can be done by machine, but as you see, I have to go along with what Khalil Gibran says about work.

Your work is love made visible.

Machines don't know that yet.

Narrator 16:51 If Rogers' work is his love made visible, this bent wood desk displays how resourceful a faithful commitment may be.

A commercial error in the angle of cutting a koa log produced this rare blister grain.

A curly grain may sometimes occur when a heavy tree compresses in upon itself.

The ʻōhiʻa tree produces the heaviest wood commonly used in the United States.

This liquor cabinet is composed entirely of ʻōhiʻa wood.

The extraordinary grain on this specimen is exceptionally rare.

Wood grain is found in the body of a tree.

The grain of these exquisite bowls is hidden deep inside the Norfolk pine tree.

Planted throughout Hawaiʻi, the Norfolk Island pine is originally from New Caledonia with a tree produces a tight cluster of branches, so the wood is knotty.

These knots may offer up a unique beauty if the word of Norfolk pine is creatively approached.

Such an approach is taken by part time bowl maker Ron Kent.

Ron Kent/Craftsman 18:14 I like to use logs from living trees and it was fun to try all of our local woods.

I still do occasionally, but norfolk pine had such dramatic colors, translucence that no other wood will achieve and such a variation.

Narrator 18:34 Ron Kent is a full time stockbroker who enjoys creating original bowls of Norfolk pine during his leisure.

Ron Kent/Craftsman 18:42 It's important to me to remember that the woodworking as a hobby that my profession my whole identity is as a stockbroker, that art and in particular, woodworking is a hobby that doesn't conflict.

There is never any question of priorities if I have to work, I put aside the hobby until I have time.

I am lucky in having what I call constructive insomnia.

I only need two or three hours sleep a night.

So I can spend two or three hours in the middle of the night sitting out in the garage, doing the sandpapering and quiet finishing.

Narrator 19:19 When he makes a two pound bowl from a log weighing 150 pounds he ends up with 148 pounds of wood chips.

He takes risks.

Ron Kent/Craftsman 19:31 Being an amateur does, does have an advantage in woodworking.

I don't know any other fields in which it does.

But as an amateur I can take chances, take risksm do experiments that a professional couldn't afford to do.

I can work thinner and if I have breakage of shrug it off and start another one.

To the point that I almost welcome the breakage because it shows me that I'm working at the fine edge of my ability.

Narrator 20:00 Norfolk pine is a porous wood that readily accepts oil.

Ron won't know the color of the bowl until he dips it in oil.

Sometimes the pale blonde wood assumes a golden luster.

He soaks the wood in oil overnight, pulls it out to sand, lets it dry a while, and then repeats the process continuously for nearly six months.

The result is a finely textured bowl with a grain of vivid contrasts.

The knots become elongated and assume a starburst appearance.

The irregular grain that surrounds these knots, could easily have chipped or torn off in the early stages of carving.

They often do, for he loses three out of five bowls that he starts.

Ron Kent has won acclaim for the translucent qualities evident in his thin bowls.

Ron Kent/Craftsman 21:08 And the halo of translucence around the edge always excites me.

Narrator 21:16 These wooden bowls are not much thicker than a fingernail.

After months of sanding and soaking, the wood has polymerized or hardened into a substance only partially wooden.

Ron Kent/Craftsman 21:31 The oil does harden and polymerize inside of the wood.

When when I'm finally finished, it isn't really wood anymore.

It's wood fibers forming a matrix with the polymerized oils actually in there among the fibers, much the way fiberglass and resin work.

So this is something other than wood after six months of treating.

I don't know quite what to call it.

Narrator 21:59 It's easy to know what these bowls are.

They are calabashes.

Famous throughout Hawaiʻi, the calabash holds a solid place in Hawaiian history.

Today at Blair Woods woodcarver Stewart Medieros carries on the tradition.

Years ago, he worked in milo and monkeypod.

Now, he specializes in koa bowls.

Capable of turning 30 to 40 bowls in a day's worth, Stewart Medieros' long experience has given him time to reflect on trees.

Stewart Medieros 22:39 These trees have color sooner, much like a lot of humans who struggle and have a difficult life when they are young, and they get color sooner too.

Narrator 22:53 When Stewart looks at trees, he thinks about life.

Stewart Medieros 22:59 If I could say to anyone, next time you see a tree, look at it, look at it very good, because it will show its scars.

Sadly enough, we don't show our scars and afraid to show our scars.

I'm not because every one on my scars was a lesson for me to learn.

And I learned by it.

Narrator 23:21 One of his favorite times to think is while he is working.

Stewart Medieros 23:26 While working with this, I've got so much time to think and it gives me that, that that, that moment when I'm doing this and everybody thinks that I'm concentrating, and I'm really not concentrating about the bowl at all.

It takes no effort for me, because I've been doing this so many years.

I'm either listening or watching somebody pass by or I'm thinking about what I'm going to do tonight.

Narrator 23:48 Once a stern football coach, Stewart Medieros had a sudden change of heart and learn the secret of being a happy woodcarver.

Stewart Medieros 23:59 I have a daughter.

She's 25.

She's so beautiful.

She and I go out together and she says, 'Dad, you go out with me and you're younger than my friends.'

And she says, 'You never seem to forget, you know, that you always tell me - she says - that every day, I want to form another bud, I want to get another leaf.'

Narrator 24:23 Most of Hawaiʻi's koa grows on the Big Island.

The frequent rain in many parts of Hawaiʻi produces a moist air which gives life to trees, but is a constant challenge to the woodworker.

(Clock chimes) In Hilo, the rains permeate the lumber as well as the air.

Clockmaker Ray Wolfe builds his grandfather clocks with an eye for unexpected swelling or shrinking.

Since wood swells across the grain rather than lengthwise, the koa wood in this vertical grandfather clock is safe from moisture.

The clock is driven by brass weights rather than springs which might weaken through rust.

The pendulum keeps the beat within this grandfather built of koa.

Up from Hilo, towards the volcano, local wood is being crafted by Bill Irwin of Pāhoa.

He is well known for his unique laminated designs.

A former boat builder and sailor, Bill Irwin drew inspiration from the waves to create his designs of wavy wood.

Laminated designs go much deeper than inlays.

Various colors of wood are glued together, sanded and finished to produce designs that go all the way through.

To some craftsman, it is the sound which must go all the way through rather than the wood.

Guitar maker Douglas Ching studies his wood grain for sound volume and tone.

Since wood vibrates, he taps the wood listening for the desired pitch.

Douglas Ching makes ancient and classical instruments.

When composing a guitar, he relies on his ear even more than his eye.

The finished result must please both.

Wood has contributed to man's survival and the development of his civilization.

Today, other materials compete with wood, but none possess the warm character of wood.

Koa wood is the pride of Hawaiʻi, highly prized, but becoming scarce.

However, to own anything made out of Hawaiian wood is to possess part of the land.

(Instrumental music)