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Artist Zac Hammack with just a small sample of his live-edge slabs collection
Carving a Niche Marking Tree Design’s tables take on a natural edge
How did you first connect wood with art?
My dad owned Arrowhead Lumber. When I was 16, 17, 18, I worked at my dad’s lumber yard during the summers. We were resawing and cutting dimensional lumber, and I was always curious as a kid how we could do something with the waste. So that’s where it started, with the reclaimed stuff.
BY E V I E K LO P P H O L Z E R P H O T O S BY C H A R L I E N E U E N S C H WA N D E R
I T ’ S H A R D T O PI N P OI N T T H E S T Y L E OF TA BL E S sold at Marking Tree Design. Farmhouse? No. Rustic? Not really. Industrial? Modern? Perhaps — but we can table the label for now. In this conversation, Marking Tree Design founder and artist Zac Hammack discusses his handcrafted tables, in which the wood’s natural color, curves and grain inspire every design. His wood tables are solid works of art; no label needed. 74
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Is there a name connection between Arrowhead Lumber and Marking Tree Design?
An arrowhead is a form of Native American technology. So is a marking tree. Trees growing sideways — called marker trees or Indian marking trees — point toward a water source or a trail. They would take these saplings and tie them down to the ground, so they would grow sideways. Plus, we’ve found arrowheads and marking trees all along our family property. Whenever we were starting this business, I was trying to keep it in that same vein. It’s still kind of in the family tradition of lumber, but it’s creative at the same time.
