Imagine standing on the ground looking up at a tree and seeing a dark hole in the side of the tree where a branch broke off many years ago. That is exactly what happened in the case of this piece of maple. Over the years the hole scarred more and more. When I started turning this the hole was about 3″ deep vs the overall height of 7″ as it sits. One other note is that the underside where a branch hangs is called the compression side. If you see this piece up close you can see the tighter rings on one side, as opposed to the top side, where there is no compression. Now you are a tree expert! Enjoy