Someone in the neighbourhood was replacing a staircase and put the off-cuts on the kerb. The wood was a very hard Brazilian species — the kind chosen for staircases precisely because it resists wear for decades. Too good to ignore.
The grain across the face is unusual: long flowing parallel lines that converge into an oval figure at the centre. That kind of pattern does not appear on every piece of wood — it depends on exactly where in the tree the cut lands. The staircase builder picked it for hardness. The figure came for free.
Surfaced flat, planed, and finished as a serving tray.
