What Is Root Wood, and Why Coffee Root Is Different
Most wood comes from above the ground. Root wood comes from below it, and it grows by different rules.
A trunk grows toward the light. A root grows toward whatever it can reach, around whatever is in the way.
Summary
- Root wood is the wood of the underground part of a tree.
- Its grain is twisted and irregular because roots grow around obstacles.
- Coffee root adds density and mineral streaking that set it apart.
Key takeaways
- Root wood has no straight lines, which is its appeal.
- Each piece reflects the specific soil it grew in.
- Coffee root has been almost entirely overlooked as a woodworking material.
When people hear "wood," they usually think of boards: straight, flat, uniform. Root wood is the opposite.
How roots grow
A trunk has one job, to hold the tree up toward the light. Its grain runs mostly straight. A root has a different job: to find water and hold fast. It does that by growing in whatever direction the soil allows. When it meets a stone, it bends around it. When it meets a gap, it fills it.
Over many years, this produces wood with a tangled, swirling grain. No two roots end up with the same pattern.
Why woodworkers prize it
Woodturners and furniture makers have long valued root and burl wood for exactly this reason. The same irregularity that makes it hard to cut makes it beautiful once finished. The figure, meaning the pattern in the grain, is dramatic in a way that straight wood cannot match.
Why coffee root is different
Most root wood on the market comes from trees that are harvested for timber, like olive, walnut, or teak. Coffee is not a timber tree. It is a crop. Nobody plants coffee for its wood, and so nobody has traditionally paid attention to what its wood looks like.
What we found, working with roots from very old trees, is a wood that is pale and creamy in body, with dark mineral streaks cutting through it. We are woodturners and farmers, not scientists, so we will not claim to know what causes the streaking. We can only tell you what we see: it varies from piece to piece, and it is unlike the other woods we have handled.
A material no one was looking for
For a root to be big enough to turn into a candleholder, the tree has to be very old. That is why the supply is so limited. It is the combination of an overlooked species and an unusual age that makes this material hard to find anywhere else. You can read more in We Searched the Whole Internet for Coffee-Root Art. It Isn't There..
Common questions
Is root wood stronger than regular wood?
It is dense and irregular, which gives it character. For our purposes the key quality is its appearance and how it turns on the lathe.
Is coffee wood used for anything else?
Coffee branches are sometimes used for small crafts or as fuel. Large old root balls are rarely used at all.
Keep reading
Every piece is one of one.
Browse the specimen archive and acquire the piece that speaks to you. Each is catalogued once and sold once.