Friendly Harvest starts out life as high quality hardwood logs from managed forests in Africa. Timber experts roam the forest to hand select each tree, choosing no more than one per acre. Only fast growing Obeche and Koto are harvested from Africa and supplemented with plantation grown Italian Poplar.

Once harvested, the trees are sawed to length and then debarked. The prepared logs are then mounted on a lathe, peeled into rotary veneer, and clipped to 25" veneer leaves. They are then dried, stacked and dyed.

Dyeing is the key to the remarkable color consistency of Friendly Harvest veneer.  The veneer leaves are selected according to the color and pattern they are intended to create. Then they are stacked in a steel cage and is submerged in a heated, pressurized vat which contains a water soluble dye. Once the dye has completely penetrated the veneer leaves, they are removed and dried.

Glue is then layered between each leaf to create a sandwich which is then pressed using a high pressure press to form a large rectangular block. The glue serves two important functions. It not only bonds the layers of veneer together, but by adding dye to the glue, it enhances the grain and adds character to the veneer.

Creating the Grain Pattern

The dyeing process ensures color consistency while the shape of the laminated block and the angle of cut control the grain pattern.  The end result is a beautiful, look-a-like to some of nature most treasured species while maintaining a "Friendly Harvest".