Contemporary Hawaii Woodworkers: the Wood, the Art, the Aloha

Koa is Hawai‘i. It provides that sense of place, that connection to the ‘āina (land) that is uniquely Hawai‘i. With a property known as chatoyancy (sha-toy-an-cee)—the ability to shimmer like a cat’s-eye gemstone—figured or curly koa wood is like no other. From deep, dark browns, to pale, golden blonds, koa produces a remarkable range of color. Its figure is just as impressive, from plain to fiddleback with every variation in between.

Although not classified as “rare” by scientists, koa naturally occurs only on the larger Hawaiian Islands and nowhere else on earth. It evolved here, in the middle of the Pacific, some 2,400 miles from the closest land mass. Koa is the largest and second most common native tree in Hawai‘i, though commercially viable koa forests occur only on the Big Island of Hawai‘i and Maui between 2,500 and 7,000 feet in elevation.

Currently, koa wood is predominately cut from dead, fallen, and dying trees on private land that is zoned for agricultural use. Koa sawyers today do both the salvage logging and milling operations, and a couple of their stories are shared in these pages. Much skill, equipment, and time are required to salvage what nature has left behind. Koa has strict protection—anyone who cuts a live tree on land zoned for conservation is subject to prosecution. Private landowners who grow koa and are zoned for agriculture can harvest their live trees. Several are working to do so in a sustainable way.

Koa has unique properties. It’s genetically predisposed to have curly or figured wood, yet the majority of the wood is plain grained. It is also very susceptible to injury by machinery and grazing animals and lacks the ability to “heal.” This makes more sense when you consider that this amazing tree originated in these islands before human contact. Without predatory animals, koa had no need for a natural defense mechanism.”

The collectors’ Edition of Contemporary Hawai‘i Woodworkers: the Wood, the Art, the Aloha is available. These special books were lovingly shipped to four locations on three islands to be autographed by 35 award-winning woodworkers and both authors. Each is numbered, has a gold seal, and comes complete with a slip case for $199. Purchase yours at Basically Books in Hilo, Cliff Johns Gallery in Holualoa, Dan DeLuz Woods in Mountain View, Dunn Gallery in Kapa‘au, Martin & MacArthur in Waikoloa, Wishard Gallery in Waimea, and ContemporaryHawaiiWoodworkers.com.