Humphries American Beech
“From a Seguin curbside rescue, Humphries American Beech carries its story forward.”
The Story
A neighbor of mine from across the street told me about a big pile of wood sitting at the curb just around the corner on Humphries Street. Knowing I’m a woodworker, she thought I might be interested. She was right — it was an American Beech tree that had been cut down for reasons unknown. The property was in the middle of a remodel for flipping, so there was no one to ask, but the pile was waiting at the curb for city brush pickup.
Curbside meant the city chipper, so I decided to be the brush pickup myself. Many of the logs were too heavy to move by hand, so I rented a bobcat and a trailer to haul them away.
I hauled the logs to a friend with a WoodMizer bandsaw mill, where we cut them down into slabs.
Back at my storage yard, I stacked the slabs on pallets and covered them with a tarp to begin the long air-drying process. That was almost two years ago. Today, I’ve just begun working through this remarkably beautiful find — Humphries American Beech.
About the Tree
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) is a native hardwood that thrives across the eastern United States, with smooth gray bark, broad spreading branches, and dense foliage that turns golden in the fall. In Texas, it’s less common, which made this Seguin tree an especially rare find.
Mature beeches can grow 60 to 80 feet tall with wide canopies that cast deep shade. Their nuts provide food for wildlife, and their presence in the landscape is often as ornamental as it is ecological. With their long lives and stately form, beech trees are as much landmarks as they are shade trees.
The photos here are simply examples of the species — not the exact tree removed from Humphries Street.
About the Wood
American Beech is a fine-grained hardwood with a pale cream to light reddish-brown color that deepens slightly with age. Its grain is typically straight but can show a gentle, flowing figure, giving finished pieces a subtle elegance. Dense and uniform in texture, it machines and turns cleanly, though it asks for sharp tools and patience at the bench.
For generations, beech has been used where strength and wear resistance matter — from furniture and flooring to tool handles and turned bowls. In reclaimed form, it offers both durability and warmth, with a grain that rewards close attention.
The bowl shown here highlights those qualities: smooth surfaces, flowing lines, and a quiet luster that comes not from stain but from the natural beauty of the wood itself.
Why It Matters
Every board of Humphries American Beech carries more than just tight grain and warm color — it carries the story of a curbside rescue. What the city brush crew would have chipped and hauled away instead found new life in my shop. That’s the essence of reclaimed woodworking: seeing value where others see waste.
American Beech itself is a reminder of quiet strength. It grows tall, casts deep shade, and yields a wood both beautiful and enduring. Paired with the effort it took to salvage, mill, and dry this lumber, each piece becomes more than material — it becomes a record of place, rescue, and renewal.
Made From Humphries American Beech
Cutting board crafted from Humphries American Beech with maple and padauk accents — available now.
Handturned bowl crafted from two glued-up pieces of Humphries American Beech — available now.
Veggie board featuring Humphries American Beech with colorful accent stripes — available now.
The pieces you see above — cutting boards, a veggie board, and a handturned bowl — are available now, each linked directly to its product page. If you’d like something custom made from Humphries American Beech, I’d be glad to build it for you.