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How is the term "marbled" correctly used when describing a grain pattern?

Odie

Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
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I have used the term "marbled" to describe the grain pattern on this bowl, but I'm not absolutely sure it is properly applied. It is a term I haven't used often, because I'm unsure of the correct definition, but the original bowl block was sold to me using that term in the description, by the seller.

I'm using many terms to describe my bowls, and some of these terms are overlapping, while some are seperated by the grain patterns they are intended to describe.

Marbled.....curly.....tiger.....fiddleback.....figured.....highly figured.....flame......

edited to include: quilted, chatoyance, burl, bird peck, and birds eye.

What other terms can be applied in descriptions?

ko1201 marbled curly claro walnut (3).JPG 1201 marbled curly claro walnut (4).JPG
 
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"Quilted" is another term you might add to your descriptive arsenal. Not sure if it applies to your walnut piece shown here (hard to tell from the picture). "Quilted" figure is common in maple (and my favorite!). Very nice bowl, Odie.
 
"Quilted" is another term you might add to your descriptive arsenal. Not sure if it applies to your walnut piece shown here (hard to tell from the picture). "Quilted" figure is common in maple (and my favorite!). Very nice bowl, Odie.

Thank you, and yes, of course you are right, Tom.........😀

Quilting is one of the most beautiful grain patterns, in my opinion. I don't think it applies to anything but maple......but, I might be wrong about that.
1122-5 quilted maple.JPG 1122-4 quilted maple.JPG
Another descriptive term I forgot about is birds eye. I've seen this term used for many species of wood.
1308 birds eye maple (3).JPG 1308 birds eye maple (2).JPG

As long as we are compiling a list of descriptive wood grain terminology, are there any other words that should be included?

ko
 
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I have seen the term "bird peck" used on occasion. Does this term refer to a naturally occurring condition.......or, is it the result of what happens when birds are actually pecking the wood?

Then, of course, how could the term "burl" not be included in this list.....?
 
So far, we have these terms in the list of descriptive figure characteristics:

Marbled.....curly.....tiger.....fiddleback.....figured.....highly figured.....flame......quilted
chatoyance.....burl.....bird peck.....birds eye.....swirly.....fire stained.....mineral stained
knotty.....crotch.....

What else can be added to this list.....? 😕
 
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I have seen the term "bird peck" used on occasion. Does this term refer to a naturally occurring condition.......or, is it the result of what happens when birds are actually pecking the wood?

Then, of course, how could the term "burl" not be included in this list.....?

Bird pecks occur most often in species where sapsuckers make holes. These heal over leaving dark marks. I see them a lot in sweetgum and occasionally in cherry. They can be in just about any wood and often look sort of triangular.

Commercially there is "pecky cypress" used for paneling. which is cypress full of holes Is caused by a fungus
 
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I have seen crotch figure referred to as "flame"

Yep, you're right Bernie.......I just added "crotch" to the list.....thanks.

Marbled.....curly.....tiger.....fiddleback.....figured.....highly figured.....flame......quilted
chatoyance.....burl.....bird peck.....birds eye.....swirly.....fire stained.....mineral stained
knotty.....crotch.....

What else can be added to this list.....? 😕
 
R beat me to it, feathered for the crotch patterns. Bees wings for the quartersawn sycamore medullary ray pattern, not sure if they call the quartersawn oak that or not. I just call it all figured. True birds eye is the piece of maple up above. Many call the spots in burl birds eye, but it isn't really true 'birds eye'. I looked up chatoyance once, and it was originally applied to gems/mineral rather than wood. We may have stolen that one...

robo hippy
 
Bird pecks occur most often in species where sapsuckers make holes. These heal over leaving dark marks. I see them a lot in sweetgum and occasionally in cherry. They can be in just about any wood and often look sort of triangular.

Commercially there is "pecky cypress" used for paneling. which is cypress full of holes Is caused by a fungus

Hey Al, is that related to liquid amber?
 
If they can split hairs on the meaning of "is" , every term used is open for interpretation. 😀
Marbled covers a large range of figure in the material, visit a marble flooring supplier and you
will quickly see the variations in marble material from around the world.
 
Hey Al, is that related to liquid amber?

Google has this say about it:
Liquidambar styraciflua, commonly called American sweetgum, sweetgum, sweet gum, sweet-gum, hazel pine, American-storax, bilsted, red-gum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, or alligator-wood

As you can see the genus name is real close to liquid amber.
 
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I read a post somewhere that all the terms relating to fiddleback , marble, quilted are now refereed to as only Curly grain. Have not tried to verify at the forestry web sites.

I sorta got that impression from the many descriptions I've been seeing, Gerald. For my purposes, I'm hoping to hit upon a few "buzzwords" that may help to make a few sales, I think I'd rather break it on down a little further, but "curly" is a word I do use frequently.

Marbled.....curly.....tiger.....fiddleback.....figured.....highly figured.....flame......quilted
chatoyance.....burl.....bird peck.....birds eye.....swirly.....fire stained.....mineral stained
knotty.....crotch.....feather.....ray fleck

Bill: Can you further explain "ray fleck"? That's a term I don't believe I've ever heard before.......
fetch


ko
 
Bill: Can you further explain "ray fleck"? That's a term I don't believe I've ever heard before.....

Most, if not all wood has medullary rays which radiate outwards from the pith. In quarter sawn white oak, the rays are particularly prominent. Mission style furniture favored the use of quarter sawn white oak that was "fumed" to darken the wood and further enhance the ray flecks. Here is an example to show white oak what ray flecks look like.

white-oak-quarter.jpg


Google "Ray flecks" and you will get plenty of hits.
 
On other forums I've seen people argue to the point of rage and recriminations over things like what a word means. Chatoyance comes to mind.
 
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