The history of the tree is in each piece of wood but it can not always be easily read. One of the easiest stories to read is when a tree has been cut across the grain. Because the wood has to shrink as it dries (a living tree is about 60% water and this will come down to 10% or below for a centrally heated house) when it is cut like this it inevitably cracks. When it is planked along the grain it can move in different ways so does not necessarily crack. This circle of wood is 31″ diameter at the narrowest point and over 3′ at the widest…