Wood Grain Types

The purpose of this page is to give you a better understanding of the Types of wood grains. Please keep in mind that one piece of wood may contain more than one of these wood grain types. The more "figure" or wood grain types a piece of wood has the rarer and consequentially the more valuable it is.

Birdseye

So far no-one has come up with a proven reason for the phenomenon called Birdseye.  The normal grain pattern is interrupted by small little "eyes" that look like tiny knots.  The frequency of these "eyes" has a direct correlation to the value of wood with Birdseye. The more "eyes" the more value. Probably the most well known wood for Birdseye is Maple. (More on Birdseye Maple .)

Burr Wood       This is when the wood grain is actually deformed, making it very difficult to work, but in the hands of an experienced craftsman it is a true blessing. Burr wood is very highly prized by those with the ability to work it, mainly due to the beauty of the misshaped grain. Burr wood is uncommon and usually very expensive. (More on Burl )

Burl     A burl is an outgrowth on a tree. As it is the product of a cambium of the tree and is the product caused by a myriad of dormant buds that appear as little knots. A burl isn't a burl without these little dormant buds. All species of tree will produce burls, but they are more common in some species than others. Burls have a very peculiar and highly figured grain pattern, making them highly prized and expensive.

Crotch     This is where a section of the tree has divided due to the outgrowth of a branch, or it may be simply where the trunk divides in two. Usually, this will produce a very beautiful integrated grain pattern that may even produce an iridescent (some call it a Tiger-eye) appearance. Occasionally, a grain pattern called feather crotch will be present, which further increases the value of the wood and any product made from it.

Flamed or flaming in wood grain is the abnormality that appears as flames. Sometimes, in some species, there will be an unusual color inclusion along with the flame appearance.

Spalted or Spalting is actually zone lines in the wood that are caused by an antagonistic wood rotting fungus. The cause of the fungal intrusion is varied, but the result is very unusual and often beautiful patterns of black lines are created.

Tiger      is almost always considered to be a grain that appears in Maple. Often referred to as curly or flamed, they all basically mean the same thing. The difference is the way these "rays" appear in correlation to the rest of the grain.

Quilt     Quilting is not restricted to Maple, although it seems to be more common in Maple than others species of wood. Quilted refers to the quilted appearance of the wood grain, often appearing like water ripples.