Thread: Qld Maple

I think many folks like to call that sort of swirly figure "quilting". I think of 'fiddleback' as having fairly straight, even waves, like this bit of blackwood:
B_wood desk.jpg

But there is much variation & inconsistency in figure terminology! Whatever you call it (& since it's your wood you can call it whatever you like.. ), that is certainly spectacular figure! I think it's the most 3-dimensional I've ever seen, it looks like cumulus cloud ...

Lovely figure in both examples. Is it some that occurs in specific species or more so the environment they grow up in that can cause that figure such as compression on the cells? I’m just spit balling here I don’t know but it’s lovely looking timber

Nathan

Originally Posted by delbs

..... Is it some that occurs in specific species or more so the environment they grow up in that can cause that figure such as compression on the cells? I’m just spit balling here I don’t know but it’s lovely looking timber ....

Nathan, nobody knows for sure what creates fiddleback & the various types of other figure in wood. Virtually any species can produce figure, especially in the zone below a lateral branch, for example. This is said to be due to the weight of the branch compressing the wood, but I don't think that's a satisfactory answer - the normal reaction of trees to a constant stress such as a heavy lean is to produce "reaction wood" which I don't think I have ever seen figure in. Besides, the weight of the branch is constant, so why would the cambium respond in "waves" of uneven growth?

Some species are definitely way more prone to producing figure, and even to producing certain types of figure. The quilting/fiddleback/blister figure log dog showed is one of the least common, but Qld Maple has a propensity for producing highly figured wood, especially paddock or fence-row trees. It has been said that it's a response to wind shear, & that's why you see it in less protected trees, but again I find that an unsatisfactory explanation because wind tends to come predominantly from a particular direction in any given locality. Blackwood is another species prone to making highly figured wood. The majority I've seen tends to be more like on the desk above, but folks have posted some pretty wild blackwood pics including blister figure at times, so it isn't restricted to the one pattern.

'Sfunny, because I grew up in a timber-producing area and there was a mill just down the road from us that milled mostly rainforest species, including maple & walnut. We kids would go & scrabble through the scrap pile for project material. We would avoid any figured stuff - too difficult to manage with our limited tools (limited both in quality & range), but so would the professionals - they wanted straight-grained, easily milled & managed stuff, even when it wasn't to be painted. It was only when I lived in North America that I noticed how some people sought out the figured wood for furniture & developed a taste for it myself. But it can easily be overdone - a couple of pieces of highly figured furniture in any one house is about as much as I can take. Any more & I'd have to wear sunglasses indoors.....

Cheers,
Ian

Your right Ian...quilting is the correct terminology for this sort of grain
Interesting discussions to be had on the occurrence of fiddleback grain and why it happens in some species more than others
I milled a Blackwood some years back and every single branch without exception was fiddleback...even the top of the tree where compressional forces were not at play was riddled with the fiddle
Log Dog

Yep, I agree. I have seen fiddle and quilting in the most unlikely of places. I have given up on trying to determin what's the cause and just appreciate it's existance.

True indeed, you don't need to know what causes figure in wood to admire it (but given my nature I would like to know, just to satisfy curiosity! ).

The other thing about figure is that it can sometimes come as a complete surprise. Often you can see from the outside that a log has wild grain, but sometimes there's no hint of the wonders inside. Was your maple like that log dog, or did you have external clues that there was something magic in there?
Ian

Originally Posted by IanW

True indeed, you don't need to know what causes figure in wood to admire it (but given my nature I would like to know, just to satisfy curiosity! ).

The other thing about figure is that it can sometimes come as a complete surprise. Often you can see from the outside that a log has wild grain, but sometimes there's no hint of the wonders inside. Was your maple like that log dog, or did you have external clues that there was something magic in there?
Ian

Yes there were external clues (potato chip like profile in the bark all along the bole)
The tree itself was an old paddock specimen blown over by cyclone Larry
Milled some incredibly figured slabs and blanks out of it...100% fiddleback throughout
Some of the prettiest wood i have ever milled...eye watering in fact!
Will post some pics when i return home next week...stayed tuned
Log Dog

Some classic tiger stripe fiddleback
Check out the figure of the Silkwood board...all over the place
Love the stuff
Will get to some heavy figure deep in the stack,next week
Log Dog

You can have my first born as a swap....even my second if that will help. Bloody beautiful.

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Some classic tiger stripe fiddleback
Check out the figure of the Silkwood board...all over the place
Love the stuff
Will get to some heavy figure deep in the stack,next week
Log Dog

So LogDog, when is some of your collection for sale again?

Delbs...IF i part with any i will let you know...unlikely though as i am attached to the fiddle
Here's some Birds-eye figure to enjoy(suspect Qld Maple)
Log Dog

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Delbs...IF i part with any i will let you know...unlikely though as i am attached to the fiddle
Here's some Birds-eye figure to enjoy(suspect Qld Maple)
Log Dog

Agreed and completely understandable Mate, appreciate the honesty


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by martink

You can have my first born as a swap....even my second if that will help. Bloody beautiful.

Lol...hilarious!
Thanks anyway,but i'll pass on the swap Lol
Glad you like the wood though
Log Dog

Couple of fiddleback slabs
Will try to take some better pics which show colour and grain a tad clearer
Nice bits though...
Log Dog