What is Figured Wood?
Wood ‘figure’ is a broad term that describes any wood with an interesting or unique grain pattern. It can include grain patterns that are unusual in shape, color or chatoyancy. It includes knots, crotches, burls and spalting. (Click here to read about Chatoyancy)
‘Figure’ can include
- Burls: Burls are abnormal growths on trees that can produce unique, swirling patterns. They can be caused by tree damage or disease, especially near the roots or broken limbs.
- Chatoyant Figuring: Highly chatoyant figuring is usually caused by stresses to the tree, especially from uneven growth and many of the other items on this list. See the list of chatoyancy patterns below.
- Crotches: A crotch is where a tree trunk or large limb forks in two. Where the two diverge is usually an area of unique and random patterns.
- Interlocked grain: When the wood’s growth rings are interlocked, it can create lustrous stripes or “ribbon stripe” patterns.
- Knots and Birdseye: Knots are caused by branches growing off the trunk, birdseye by many tiny branches growing, usually on Maple trees.
- Spalting: Fungal growth can cause distinctive dark streaks irregular patterns and pockets of color. Sometimes it is caused by insect activity, but is usually part of the natural decomposition of the tree.
- Wavy grain: Uneven growth patterns can lead to wavy grain patterns, like fiddleback.
List of Chatoyancy Figure Patterns
- Bird’s eye: Small, eye-like patterns usually found in maple.
- Burl: An abnormal growth with a random swirling or roiling pattern.
- Fiddleback, Flamed, Tiger or Ribbon Striped: A wavy, striped pattern that resembles flames or tiger stripes. It’s commonly found in maple and is often used for guitar tops and other decorative purposes.
- Quilted: This has a distinctive pattern that looks like a series of bubbles or diamonds. It’s often described as having a mosaic or quilted appearance.
- Ray fleck, Ribbon Fleck or Flake: A shimmering, ribbon-like pattern or flecks that run perpendicular to the grain caused by medullary rays in wood, particularly in quartersawn lumber.