Olivewood has been used to make nearly everything from utensils, to furniture, to beams and framework for homes, to the cross on which Jesus died.
Olive trees are practically ageless.
Many trees in the Holy Land are documented to be well over one thousand years old. In fact, there are some in the garden of Gesthsemane that are claimed to be over 2000 years old. The tree grows slowly in some of the harshest conditions on earth. The wood does develop a grain that is unique to that particular tree. Only after the tree is over 150 years old is it large and strong enough to be partially or completely cut for use.