Like the ugly duckling that turned into a beautiful swan in Hans Christian Anderson’s famous fairy tale, a large log harvested six years ago from a tree in Potter County and rejected by a sawmill has been crafted into beautiful dining room furniture.

In 2001, Chris Lowman of Eldred was a log scaler and veneer salesman at Bradford Forest Inc. when he scaled a load of logs that had arrived on a tri-axle. He noticed that one of the logs was different, making it unacceptable for production and had the apprentice operator set it aside until he could talk to his supervisor about purchasing the log.

“The grain was unacceptable for graded lumber because it was rated L-3, which meant that it had three or four faces with knots or blemishes,” said Lowman. “It would not be cost-efficient to run it through the mills.”

Lowman received the OK to purchase the log.

The exact species of the tree was in doubt for some time. At first, it was thought that the log, that was estimated to be about 50 years old, came from a peanut ash tree due to the unique shapes in the grain, but further investigation showed that peanut wood comes from a tree that is not found in this area.

Dr. Tim Pierson, extension educator in environmental and natural resources with the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service in Smethport, said, “A sample of the wood was sent to the Wood Products Department in the School of Forest Resources at The Pennsylvania University, where specialists identified it as white ash.”

Pierson said that while white ash trees are found in abundance in this area, this particular log’s grain structure is very rare.

“Insects and disease can affect trees annually, creating intricate and unique designs. One can see the bark inclusions that were calloused over, resulting in unique figuring.”

Shortly after purchasing the log, Lowman took it to Goodhope’s Hardwood in Springfield, in southeastern Pennsylvania for custom cutting. The log, which was 24 inches in diameter, was cut into two pieces — lengths of nine and 10 feet.

The logs were kiln-dried twice during the three months they were at Goodhope’s. During the drying process, the logs twisted due to the high level of fiber tension.

After the logs were returned, Lowman took them to David Trask, owner of Trask’s Custom Wood and Restoration on Route 46, just outside of Smethport, who has crafted them into a dining room table and two benches.

Trask said, “We had a basic idea of the table and benches so far as the designs. We wanted to feature the unique wood figuring by retaining the natural figuring for the outside edge of the table top.”

Once the individual pieces of wood were spread out, Trask studied them and decided where they would be used. They were then planed to achieve a uniform thickness.

Trask had a general dimensions that he had to work with and selected the pieces that would meet that size.

The table, made of five pieces that are glued together, measures 3 1/2 feet x 5 1/2 feet.

Prior to assembly, two thin coats of oil-based varnish were applied to the benches, with sanding done after each coat. Additional varnish was added after assembly.

According to Trask, using this type of varnish can be time-consuming, because of its longer drying time, but it is durable and highly scratch resistant.

The legs were attached to the benches suing the mortise and tenon method.

“The three pieces have been finished in time for Chris and his family to enjoy for Christmas,” Trask said.

Meanwhile, Lowman is very satisfied with the furniture.

He said, “All four of our children can be seated on one of the benches.”

Looking back at this job, Trask said, “I was privileged to have this project. This is my Sistine Chapel.”

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