The New York Times
Thursday, December 11, 1986

The summers of California's upper Sacramento Valley are hard on horses. Crops thrive but animals thirst. To alleviate this problem, early settlers of Chico planted walnut trees to shade the wide streets as a protection for both the horses and their masters. This leafy cooling system worked so well, they also planted trees in their yards and uncultivated areas.

Many of these trees are now past their prime. Others must be removed for reasons of town growth, interference with sewers, etc. This has all worked to the benefit of Scot Wineland, whose knowledge of Junglans Hindsil (Claro walnut) is second to none.

While a student at Chico College, Scot worked with a tree trimmer who taught him how to take down a walnut tree and save the lumber. It was then he noted that most of the local walnut was either shipped away to make veneer—some as far as Italy—or was cut up into gunstock blanks. "Surely," he thought, "there must be some way to cut a log into blocks for turning and into wide boards that could be used for furniture. And surely there was a way to cut it to take full advantage of the beautiful figure in the grain." That is just what Scot set out to do.

The winters in Pennsylvania are rugged, but less so than in George Nakashima's native Japan. That's why this foremost woodworker and author of the celebrated The Soul of a Tree (see PW, June/July 1984, "Book Reviews') built a barn in which to house exotic wood, much of it walnut.

In 1983, George Nakashima purchased what was considered one of the largest walnut logs in the world. It came from a 300-year-old tree on Long Island. 12 long, it tapered in diameter from 5'7"'.

For years, the 80-year-old Nakashima had dreamt of building an altar as a shrine to peace. This would be a place set aside where people of all religions could come and worship their God and pray for a peaceful world. It would encompass two bookmatched slabs so that the altar will be 12 ' long and 14 ' wide at one end, tapering to 10' at the other. The free-form shape would denote this artist's touch.

It was only natural that these two lovers of walnut would come to hear of each other. Scot has one customer in Pennsylvania who had purchased some crotches from some prime walnut trees in Delaware and asked Wineland to fly back and cut them. While on this trip, Scot, who had memorized much of Nakashima's book The Soul of a Tree, made an appointment to meet the author, a man he had so long admired. He took some wood samples with him, and the meeting, which had been scheduled for 20 minutes, stretched into lunch and beyond. Now, with the Altar for Peace project, Mr. Nakashima needed the precious 300-year-old log cut. He telephoned Scot. Would he do it?

"Yes!" he agreed. But after hanging up he wondered, "What have I gotten myself into?"

After considerable thought, he designed and built a special mill. He also ordered an 8' chain saw bar from Canon of Canada and used two Partner chain saw engines. The unit's frame was welded and the saw specifically designed for this special job, as Nakashima had specified it must cut an 8' log.

No other dealer handles walnut the way Scot does. Mills usually cut a log in half lengthwise, then cut it into boards. Scot, on the other hand, may study a log for two days, turning it over again and again before making the first cut. When he finally does, he begins his cut at the top of the log and cuts down each layer in turn. In all regards, Altar for Peace will be a professional job.

It was now Mr. Nakashima's turn to visit, and he came to witness the new saw at work. Then Scot went to Pennsylvania to do the job. It was mid-winter 1984. There was snow on the ground; the log was stored outside. Newspapers sent reporters and cameramen, and the National Geographic Society had a video film crew on hand to get footage for "Nickolodeon" on cable TV. After all, this was a monumental occasion.

At last the log was cut, but not without some difficulty. First, it was frozen. Second, they hit a pipe that had become embedded in the log many years before. Nonetheless, this special walnut proved to have spectacular grain, even better than Nakashima had hoped. At his direction it was cut into 3" slabs. With every second cut, Scot had to stop to sharpen the chain. In two days it was done.

Altar for Peace, cut by Scot Wineland to be masterfully formed by George Nakashima, will be a magnificent dedication to the "soul of a tree" and the soul of humanity. May peace be with us, and so may our trees.