Our moonwood

We at OPA ERWIN only process sustainably grown moonwood. According to old knowledge, we cut our moonwood in winter just before new moon, which gives it very special properties.

Which trees become moonwood?

The oaks we carefully select as moon wood often come from the higher regions of the Swabian Alps. Here the climate is harsher and colder and winter lasts longer. For this reason, the oak trees grow more slowly. This is easy to read from the annual rings, which are narrower and closer together.

Moonwood Properties

Wood felled during the waning moon in winter – also known as moon phase wood – is extremely dense, very easy to dry and dimensionally stable. This makes it ideal for a sophisticated furniture design, as it does not change significantly even after long usage.

This wood has very special properties. It is exceedingly robust and durable,accurate and stable as well asresistent to pests. 

Thanks to these properties, we can process our moonwood furniture without chemicals that are harmful to environment and health. You can therefore live sustainably and healthily with moonwood.

history

The gravitational pull of the moon on the earth can be clearly seen in the ebb and flow. This phenomenon affects all organisms, albeit imperceptibly. In the past, the rural population based their work on the lunar calendar. Trees felled shortly before new moon were considered to be very high-quality, durable wood. At that time, almost every wooden house was made of moonwood. Furniture was also made from it, which often still exists today.

In addition, wood harvesting was easier in winter, since a tree trunk lying on the frozen ground was easier to transport with a draft horse. Moreover, there was more time for lumbering in winter, since the labor force was needed in the fields from spring to autumn.

today

Today moonwood is felled around Christmas time just before new moon. In spring, the logs are cut into thick boards. These remain outdoors, stacked and protected against precipitation from above for at least another winter. Over time, the inner tensions in the wood are reduced and the moonwood is “worked out”. Self-evident in former times, this procedure only fell into oblivion over the course of the last century due to increasing time and cost pressure in the course of industrialization in the wood industry.

In this way, we from OPA ERWIN get an excellent starting material, which makes every single piece of moonwood furniture a durable and timeless unique piece.

The material, also known as moon phase wood, is currently being used in a variety of ways in a wide variety of areas. For example as a house made of moonwood or as a moonwood bed for healthy sleep. The organ of the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie by the famous Bonn organ builder Johannes Klais was also made of moonwood .