Mike Fisher makes a living getting old, fallen trees ready for a new life in the technology sector.
The woodworker, with a shop in the “Forest City” of Rockford, Illinois, makes wooden iMac stands and shelves out fallen ash and walnut trees.
Fisher’s company, Heartwood, has been making the elegant wood stands since 2015. Now his Understands lineup boasts two new models.
Butler wooden iMac shelf
The Butler is a $69 shelf that slides to fit down the back of an iMac base that neatly holds extra hard drives, chargers and cords behind the computer or acts as a decorative space to keep a desk surface clean.
Evo wooden iMac stand
The Evo, starting at $109, is a line of stands and undermounts. These wooden stands raise a monitor to an optimal level. Some models add a drawer or drawers to tuck away cords, pens and other workstation essentials.
Heartwood also makes other types of Understands for a variety of needs. One model serves as a platform for two monitors. The company crafts all its gorgeous wooden Mac accessories from fallen walnut and ash trees in Rockford and other parts of northern Illinois.
Photo: Understands
Heartwood Mac stands are a labor of love
Fisher’s company traces its roots back to when he tucked a love note into the first wooden box he ever made to give to a high-school sweetheart. In 1978, he left college to start Heartwood and began making sliding dovetail boxes and jewelry chests.
According to the company website, Heartland has more than 2.7 million customers of its boxes.
Three years ago, Fisher built a wooden stand to declutter his home desk and wondered whether other desk-dependent workers would appreciate it. The Understands product line also includes stands that work with PCs and other desktop computers.
Like the box with the love note, Fisher again casually made something that became a business success.
