WOOD FIGURES.
When we refer to the unique grains of the materials that we use, we are actually referring to the “figure” of the wood. The figure or appearance of the wood is a result of both the grain and the way the wood was cut.
These are some of our favorite figures to work with and we are always excited when we come across them since they are pretty hard to find:
Bird’s Eye
Bird’s Eye figures have small round spots that are said to resemble the eyes of birds. There are theories of what causes this, such as fungus and birds pecking at the tree, but so far there is no complete understanding of the conditions that produce it.
Crotch
Crotch figures are formed due to the stresses on a tree. Typically this is from a large branch stemming from the main trunk, but can also be caused by unusual growth, such as leaning or curving on a steep hill side. The strain on the tree causes the wood to compress so that it can support the stress. This compression causes the grains to twist and swirl producing the unique figures. This is our favorite figure and the one we struggle the most to find.
Knots
Knots alone are not really a type of figure, but they are somewhat similar to crotch figures, just on a much smaller scale. They are formed by branches stemming from the main trunk of the tree, and like crotches, can distort the area around them into swirling and twisting patterns.
Swirl
Swirling figures are typically caused by the growth patterns in the crotch areas of trees which is sometimes referred to as “crotch swirl”.
Wavy
Wavy figures have a wavy pattern running the length of the tree trunk as opposed to the more common straight up and down patterns.
