Truffuls.Com™ :: A Bit About Wood.

Wood Grain Wood. It is earthy, warm and sensual. It is one of Mother Nature's greatest gifts and she really let her spirits go wild when she created it. Every single piece of wood on the planet is unique; a jewel waiting to be unveiled.

Every storm, flood, fire, nail, bug, broken branch, or garage sale sign that a tree encounters leaves its mark and the tree reacts. This reaction can create amazingly figured wood. The image at right is not of a flowing lava field but of Currugata burl!

Wood is full of depth and glowing grain that changes and draws you in.

Wood is alive. Even after being harvested from the tree it continues to move, expanding or shrinking with changes in moisture.

Wood is my canvas and a lathe is my brush.

The following selections of wood are typical examples of what you may find in my workshop. If you'd like to learn more about almost 700 different species of exotic wood check the Exotic Wood site. There are over 17,000 pictures and accurate information on coloration and behavior of exotic woods. Some of these images may have actually been stolen from Paul but I am pointing to his site as reference and source. Thanks, Paul!

Wood samples and descriptions (more to come)
	Amboyna Burl: Burls on the Narra tree are called Amboyna Burls. From Southeast Asia, aromatic.
	African Blackwood: An expensive wood, obviously because of the rich black color of the heartwood. This image also shows the tan sapwood. Many turning artists use this for their fine finials. It takes detail very well and turns like frozen butter. It obtains a glass-like finish from sanding alone.
	African Bloodwood. This is a nice wood to work with, machines well and takes a nice finish. Color can vary from pale gray red to deep "blood" red, hence the name. The sawdust piles remind me of Red Velvet cake.
	Bocote. Heavy, hard, strong and dense. Needs sharp tools and will dull them quickly. Takes a high polish.
	Bubinga: Not overly heavy, dense but works easily. Takes a nice finish but end grain needs more attention during sanding.
	Cherry: An amazing, but not exotic, wood. The color can vary widely, as can most fruitwoods, but cherry tends to darken over time to a rich color.
	Pink Ivory: One of the most expensive woods on the planet. Premium grade can run, on average locally, $1.00 per cubic inch. In comparison, premium Curly Maple can run $0.06 per cubic inch. This is a very hard wood and requires precision, razor sharp tools. It can take extreme detailing.
	Purpleheart: This wood is quite light sensitive. The color can range from pale brown/tan to deep, almost black, purple. Exposure to light can make the color more vibrant.
	Redcedar: Not exotic, but it sure smells nice, and it has amazing coloration. My friend, Don (The Well Turned Bowl) uses a lot of this and his work is stunning. This is a soft wood and prone to cracks, giving an excuse to show off mineral fills.
	Cherry Burl: Not exotic. Amazingly, no one knows what causes burls but they are highly sought after. I've found that they seem to grow in clumps; if one tree has them there is a good chance others in the same grove will too.
	Boxelder: Not exotic. A cousin of the maple tree. Just as with the Ambrosia Maple sample below, a beetle invades the tree and leaves "worm holes" and trails. While the jury is out as to whether it is the bug or a fungus brought in by the bug, the tree reacts by creating streaks of color. The red color can be anywhere from pale pink to deep deep blood red. Note: The red color WILL fade the longer the piece is exposed to light.
	Ambrosia Maple: Not exotic. The Ambrosia beetle invades the tree and leaves "worm holes" and trails. While the jury is out as to whether it is the bug or a fungus brought in by the bug, the tree reacts by creating streaks of color. Note: The color WILL fade the longer the piece is exposed to light.
	Walnut: Prolific domestic tree found just about everywhere. The sap wood is usually a pale cream color while the heartwood can be an amazing array of browns, purples & greens. The colors are lost during kiln drying, resulting in shades of brown. I prefer to use wet or non-kiln dried.
	Mulberry: Prolific domestic "weed" tree found just about everywhere. When first cut into the wood is an amazing neon yellow with an almost white sap wood. There is a high degree of figure & chatoyance in this wood. It is heavy and dense, similar to Orange Osage & locust. The sap wood tends to retain its creamy color while the heart wood will darken to a "Grey Poupon" mustard color