Thread: Wood Chatoyance

Many thanks Paolo.

Excellent work on Chatoyance measurements and the website on your results.

I mostly work (woodturn) with our Australian Blackwood (Acacia Melanoxoylon) and I know from experience the striking chatoyance it exhibits, so I looked that up and, yes, it is way up there at the top of your species list...

For those who are not familiar with the term... it comes from French, "œil de chat", cat's eye.

Yes, indeed.
You can see an example in this page:
Acacia (misc) – PZC Chatometry

Unfortunately it is not cheap to purchase it from here. We would need at least 4 more samples (each coming from a different individual tree) to create a dedicated page and typical value for Acacia Melanoxylon.
Is it common in Australia?

Is it common in Australia?

Yes, it is, and it is widespread from, Far North Queensland to Tasmania, so effectively the entire eastern coast of Australia.

Acacia melanoxylon

It also varies significantly in appearance across that geographic distribution.

What sample size pieces do you use?

Thank you, very interesting. I heard there are some trees in Italy too, but still I couldn't find any pieces.

Anything that is at least 120x38x0.6mm (so even just a little piece of veneer) works for us, except for end-grain cutoffs. Even small firewood pieces can be turned into samples, provided a 120x38mm piece can fit inside. The tricky part is finding pieces from different individual trees (or from different sources).

Well, at that size and really negligible weight I'd be happy to send over a couple of pieces. If they get past customs at your end, all well and good if not, well you get that.

I have some melenoxylon from Cardwell in North Queensland. Where do I send it?

Originally Posted by Fekit

Well, at that size and really negligible weight I'd be happy to send over a couple of pieces. If they get past customs at your end, all well and good if not, well you get that.

I have some melenoxylon from Cardwell in North Queensland. Where do I send it?

Wood will usually easily make it through customs as long as it doesn't have any bark or evidence of bugs. Most countries won't blink an eyeat wood but I was surprised at how much interest a canadian customs officer took in the pieces I had brought from Australia to Canada. They were inspected with a head magnifier and the inspector wanted to know all aennout them - turned out he was a woodie.

Originally Posted by chatometry

Yes, indeed.
You can see an example in this page:
Acacia (misc) – PZC Chatometry

Unfortunately it is not cheap to purchase it from here. We would need at least 4 more samples (each coming from a different individual tree) to create a dedicated page and typical value for Acacia Melanoxylon.
Is it common in Australia?

It's common here in South Australia, but it's not a big tree so supply isn't plentiful. The primary demand for it is as a cabinet timber and for turning.

The amount of chatoyance varies greatly as does the colour. Where I live in the Adelaide Hills it can be a deep rich colour like the sample on your website, with quite spectacular chatoyance, especially on large platters.

It also grows on the sandy soils in the south east of our state and that can be very pale.

IME, it is not obvious what the chatoyance will be like on any one piece until you have fine sanded it, which allows you to then see into any reflective cell structure.

Acacia Celsa rivals Blackwood for Chatoyance
Flindersia Brayleyana too!
Log Dog

I'm happy to be corrected, but are you not talking about figure as opposed to chatoyance? I have some fairly run of the mill timbers with respect to figure in the grain, however, the chatoyance is stunning.

Originally Posted by Fekit

I'm happy to be corrected, but are you not talking about figure as opposed to chatoyance? I have some fairly run of the mill timbers with respect to figure in the grain, however, the chatoyance is stunning.

LOL no I'm talking chatoyance Feckit
Highly figured(particularly fiddleback) wood will often generate the most wonderful chatoyance.
Log Dog

Originally Posted by Log Dog

LOL no I'm talking chatoyance Feckit
Highly figured(particularly fiddleback) wood will often generate the most wonderful chatoyance.
Log Dog

Wow, this is getting confusing. I just call it fiddle back and any other pattern just figured.
Whatever floats your boat.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Fiddleback grain will often display a 3D appearance that changes when viewed at different angles
This is known as wood chatoyance
Log Dog

Tigers Eye

Originally Posted by Camelot

Tigers Eye

When referring to jewellery
Log Dog