What wood has the most chatoyancy?

[John Huber]

I am planning to make a many-faceted dome and would like the facets to strongly react to the light and viewing angle. What wood species show the most chatoyancy effect? Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Aaron Koehl]

How about Acacia?

[Guy Germaine]

I think you have a lot of choices there. Tiger or Birdseye maple reflect light nicely. I have a few small slabs of Walnut that have some real nice figure in them:
http://www.fototime.com/E7F7FC3F8C97D68/standard.jpg

Waterfall Bubinga is also very nice.
http://www.fototime.com/3F48CDE2F61AEB2/standard.jpg

You choices are almost endless. Just look for something in the color you're after, and you should be able to find it with some nice figure in it.

[jerry cousins]

look at satinwood (pau amarillo) - it's just amazing when finished and polished.

jerry

[Gary Herrmann]

Didn't someone do an article on chatoyance in FWW? I seem to remember they used qsawn mahogany as their example. One piece was a room divider or something with the pieces reversed. The lighting effect was striking.

[Todd Solomon]

My personal favorite is figured true mahogany, with figured bubinga a close second. I suppose it depends on your taste and color preferences. I prefer some of the darker figured woods.

A virtual candy store of figured woods is Gilmers, see link below. I will warn you, it's expensive- typically about $35 to $40 per board foot (they charge per piece, but I calculated it on several pieces, and they were $39/bf.). I have never found wood this beautiful locally, they have some of the best selection I've ever seen. Shipping is reasonable, and you don't pay tax, which helps just a little.

http://www.gilmerwood.com/

-Todd

[Neil Lamens]

Hi John:

I don't have to tell you about wood selection, I remember the cabinet with quilted maple doors you posted, so I believe you'll pick the right wood.

The finish will be your key. Think to pearlize or lightly metal fleck the finish. As usual John, your stretching your skill-set, we're not looking at a wipe-on finish here.

Neil

[Montgomery Scott]

Olneya Tesota

[Karle Woodward]

Quarter-sawn sycamore

[Scott Neblung]

For local or native wood ...I second the QS sycamore...mesmerizing it is.

I milled a 34" hard maple from my place about this time last year and realized recently that quite alot of it is quilted, especially in the sapwood.

Im hoping some of the wide boards are this way too.

Scott

[Ian Gillis]

I've seen some guitars using sapele with pomele figure. Real eye-grabbers.

Here's a link to a sample photo - it looks more subdued than the guitars I've seen. They were more like maple colour.

Sample (http://www.sarasotarockers.com/woodgallery/sapele_pomele.html)

Check out the image below - very flashy :cool:

[John Huber]

What a great list of woods! I feel like it is Christmas. Since the dome segments are small (about one inch across), big figrues won't show well. I'll try mahogany for a starter.

[josh bjork]

I have never seen this in person but pictures of it are great looking to me, at least.

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/beefwood.htm

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/beefwood/beefwood%2010%20s100%20q60%20web.htm

[Howard Rosenberg]

lacewood.

My 2C

Howard

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The little bits of osage orange I've turned and finished have really had a lot of chatoyance.

[Jamie Buxton]

Someplace recently I've seen a pic of a table top design which depended entirely on chatoyancy. It was entirely honduras mahogany veneer. The design was quite geometric, and was expressed only by varying the direction of the grain of the mahogany. The design was quite obvious, and definitely high on the kewl factor.

[Don Restall]

I am a big Euro. walnut fan.(Jhuglins regia) I have found that the ultimate deepest 3D effect is Circassian Walnut.It tends to be curly and figured.The higher grade figured stuff goes almost exclusively for gun stocks.The ultimate is the burl or crotch.Prices are extremely high.I've seen one piece of wood go for $7,000.It was also popular as burl walnut veneer in the older Rolls Royce cars.French walnut and other Euro. walnuts generally don't have as much dimensional visual effect (but are pretty darn good!):rolleyes: