What exactly is figured wood? Or specifically curly wood?

Consider how a tree is formed. Every year a tree adds a growth ring. We have all seen these rings in a cross section of a log. We might think of them as concentric circles. Think of tubes stacked inside of one another, each fitting perfectly next to the previous one. The reality though is that rings are not really circles. A circle is symmetrical. Tree rings are not. So let’s make a new term, “wiggly circles”. Notice the rings in this image. They are not perfect circles but rather the wander in and out. This is also true for the ring vertically as well. The tubes do not necessarily move straight up the tree, They too are wiggly. Of course the amount of wiggle in the rings varies widely from one tree to another. The wiggle is the key to curly wood. Exaggerated wiggly grain results in curly figure.

When a board is milled we cut through the rings of the tree, both on the cross section and vertically. When we cut through the rings we expose end grain. Face grain and end grain reflect light differently. So, as the grain dips in and out of the board we get this three dimensional effect that looks like waves as the light is reflected from the different properties of the grain. In the photo above the top surface of the wood appears to be curvy but in fact it is a planed surface. The curvy effect is an optical illusion caused by the light reflection of alternating face and end grain.

There are several classifications of figured wood. “Curly” is the only one we are talking about here. Some sub-classifications of curly figure include:

• Blister

• Quilted

• Wang

• Fiddleback

• Tiger

• Flame

Other types of figure include:

• Burl

• Birdseye

• Ray Flecks

• Ambrosia

• Spalted

• Crotch

• Stump wood

to name a few.