Dark rings around Wormy Maple?

[Lawrence Duckworth]

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Can someone tell me if the darker rings are common on wormy maple.The piece is 1-3/4" x 4-1/4" x multiples. I can't make up my mind if I accidently burnished the wood with the tools bevel or its the wood. I dont seem to notice the darker rings until after scraping & sanding.

[Brian Tymchak]

Ambrosia maple is fairly common. Most any hardwood lumber store has at least a few boards of it. So called due to the effect of the ambrosia beetle boring through the heartwood. Interesting effect with the shape of your piece. Also looks like there's a bit of curl in that block.

[Dwight Rutherford]

I think the darker rings you are referring to are caused by sanding while the lathe is running. This can be fixed by turning the lathe off and hand sanding laterally (headstock to tailstock) with each successive grit. An inertia sander can also be used with the lathe turned on.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

Sounds about right Dwight, it does look man made :) .. I'll try it in the morning. Thanks

[John Keeton]

As Brian mentioned, there is some curl in the wood and I believe what you are referring to is the chatoyant effect of that curl that is producing what you refer to as dark rings.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

:) I had to look up the word "Chatoyance" and also listen to its pronounciation. Here's a link to the question: what is it.. https://www.wwgoa.com/video/chatoyance-wood-016077/...the curls and wrinkles found in the wood are caused by stress. I couldn't find any answer to the type of stress but maybe its weather related.


...I wiped a finish on the piece today and the rings are definitely not man made. pretty cool! ....Thanks John

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[Brian Tymchak]

...I wiped a finish on the piece today and the rings are definitely not man made. pretty cool! ....Thanks John

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More curl than I thought. Looks good. There are some finishing techniques that can make that curl even more pronounced.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

More curl than I thought. Looks good. There are some finishing techniques that can make that curl even more pronounced.


This is the board the piece was cut from. 469945
I've worked with curly maple and the board didn't look like this one; it was full of tight little curly knots. 469946


....it's all maple, just different :)

[John Keeton]

The prior piece is more “bird’s eye maple” than curly maple.

[John K Jordan]

:) I had to look up the word "Chatoyance" and also listen to its pronounciation. Here's a link to the question: what is it.. https://www.wwgoa.com/video/chatoyance-wood-016077/...the curls and wrinkles found in the wood are caused by stress. I couldn't find any answer to the type of stress but maybe its weather related.


...I wiped a finish on the piece today and the rings are definitely not man made. pretty cool! ....Thanks John

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That wood is a great find! I look for that figure and don't often find it. The chatoyance gives the surface an incredible 3-dimensional look when turned by hand. That figure, BTW, is independent of the patterns made by the ambrosia beetles. If you were to cut and smooth a longitudinal cross section and put oil on it you might be able to see with a magnifier how the grain has grown in waves where the figure is strongest.

Here's a little tip: after sanding I often apply a liquid to the unfinished wood, one reason is to see the figure. I use naphtha since it dries very quickly; mineral spirits or alcohol will also work. Figure "hiding" in the piece should be revealed while the surface is wet. The liquid also gives me a good idea of the color and appearance I'll get when finally I apply a "danish" oil finish.

Applying liquid has another important advantage: as the liquid dries, any sanding scratches or hidden tool marks that remain in the wood can be revealed. The liquid stays in the scratches a tiny bit longer than on the surface so for a few seconds the defects may look darker. Easier to fix then then after finish is applied!

Often the figure is just in a narrow layer of the wood and is diminished or lost if turned too deep. When I find a board with such figure I like to make one of these shallow dished platters. I took this one to a friend in Italy. Looking at both the top and bottom you might see where the figure is strongest in a narrow depth band.

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If the figured board is too thin for a dish/platter I might cut it into small turning squares for magic wands. The chatoyance adds a bit of extra magic. :)

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

My receipts show the Birds Eye as "Curly Maple" and the other as "Wormy Maple" :) go fig'r....

those are great examples JKJ. I've found several in my Bing searching also, some great color died example too. This easily could become my favorite wood.

Thanks guys for setting me straight!

[John K Jordan]

Another to look for is “quilted” maple, but the really spectacular stuff can be hard to find. Sometimes the figure is to die for, strong chatoyance on multiple axes. BTW, I usually prefer an oil finish to best show off figured wood.

Sometimes highly figured wood can chip out when turned on certain axes but razor-sharp tools and a light touch can prevent it, followed by my favorite smoothing method: NRS then hand scrapers.

[Earl McLain]

Another to look for is “quilted” maple, but the really spectacular stuff can be hard to find. Sometimes the figure is to die for, strong chatoyance on multiple axes. BTW, I usually prefer an oil finish to best show off figured wood.

Sometimes highly figured wood can chip out when turned on certain axes but razor-sharp tools and a light touch can prevent it, followed by my favorite smoothing method: NRS then hand scrapers.

Google Guild Doyle Dykes Guitar…for several decades Guild has done great justice to quilted maple. I’ve been close to buying one many times, just for “wall art” since I have no skill to play!!
earl

[John K Jordan]

Google Guild Doyle Dykes Guitar…for several decades Guild has done great justice to quilted maple. I’ve been close to buying one many times, just for “wall art” since I have no skill to play!!
earl

I play so you should buy one, get a good photo and frame it for your wall, and send the guitar to me! Good idea, eh?!

I found a board of quilted maple at a local dealer - about 8”x5’, 2” thick. I paid $15/bd ft, more than some exotics but worth it, I think. I still need to take a photo of what I turned from it so far.

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I finished putin the last leg together today, but still a long way to go with the details before getting started on thorax and abdomen......Just thought some of you might enjoy seeing the progress :)

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