How to maximize figured wood from a log?

[mesquite buckeye]

There is so much curve in that grain it could be cut at any angle and you would get good stuff. ;D

losttheplot- That bubbling should have been visible in the bark. The bumps look to be half an inch tall.

[qbilder]

Beautiful quilted maple!!! I have not had the pleasure of milling big leaf maple, so I have no idea what indicates figure in the log. But undoubtedly there's a sign of some type. As for eastern maples getting quilt, it's extremely rare. I have seen quilt in hard maple a few times but even then it's not quite like the big leaf maple. Quilted hard maple looks more blistered, similar to the big leaf but smaller blisters.

[losttheplot]

 
The inner layer of the bark (Cambium ?) filled all the irregularities and the surface of the bark is smooth.

[mesquite buckeye]

Verrrry interestink. ;D

Seems like the irregular growth below should show either show directly on the bark, which it doesn't seem to have, or perhaps the bark pattern would be somewhat abnormal in surface pattern somehow, even if it is smooth.

Could you see anything different at all from normal logs?

[mesquite buckeye]

If you ever get another one of these, maybe you could photo the bark after you make the opening cut and compare to a straight grained log after you open it up as a comparison. Just a thought. I'm thinking there should be some hint there, even if it is subtle.

[WDH]

Maybe the cambium got confused as to what was bark and what was wood  .

[mesquite buckeye]

Something has to be happening there that either the xylem being produced has different sized cells, the defect magnifying over time, or the cambium is differentially producing more cells in patches. It wouldn't take a big differential to become a major growth defect, which is what this stuff is, over time. Sure is pretty though. Bet you could select for it and make more if you worked at it. ;D

[Ron Wenrich]

Seems like that would happen when you have an injury in the cambial layer.  That could be due to a lot of different things.  Sometimes defects are defects, not character builders.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The US Forest Service has a good publication on bird's eye

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rp/rp_nc317.pdf

[mesquite buckeye]

Good stuff, Gene. Well worth a close read. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[Axe Handle Hound]

qbuilder, is it me or does that birdseye maple you posted really have the classic coke bottle shape associated with birdseye?

[mesquite buckeye]

I saw that too. ;D

[qbilder]

qbuilder, is it me or does that birdseye maple you posted really have the classic coke bottle shape associated with birdseye?

Yes, it certainly does. That's what caught my eye. It literally looked like a coke bottle with bark & leaves  :D I wish I had taken a pic before felling the tree. I will get pics next time, so I can point out the subtle differences that give me a hunch the tree is figured. Seeing it in the woods puts it in a context where you can compare all the trees within sight, and the figured tree is obviously different. If you aren't paying attention, the trees all look the same. I relate it to identifying ginseng or yellow root from any other weed in the woods. If you aren't paying attention then you walk right past. But if you are tuned in, they may as well be painted neon orange.   

[Furu]

While I understand that there are many varieties of figured wood and often times until you open the log you do not know what you have, one question I have is how do you maximize the figure from intriguing branches and whorls where they join the main body?  Do you cut parallel with them or perpendicular to them to get the best figure? Or is it not possible to do this?

[mesquite buckeye]

Crotch burl is usually most consistantly attractive when cut parallel to the plane of the main trunk and branch. Forks are the same, just 2 more or less equal branches. To work a whorl, I'm thinking you would have to do a true quarter sawing. In practice, usually even whorled branches are not equal. I would try to get the most from the two biggest/best and oh well the others. ;D

[qbilder]

I would try to get the most from the two biggest/best and oh well the others. ;D

That's exactly right! A big mistake is trying to get the maximum quantity of woof from a figured log, rather than get the maximum figure. You'll always end up with a bunch of mediocre wood if you shoot for quantity, or a little bit of extraordinary wood if you ignore quantity and shoot for the absolute best cuts. Ask me how I know  :  :D  You can have all the top round steaks you can eat. I'll have the one fillet mignon.