Figured wood...at what point is it too much?

[Rich Schneider]

I've been looking at some boxes that were made for a recent competition and one thing that really struck me is that those boxes that were constructed from maybe 60% or more figured wood and veneers draw a lot of attention and comments, but to my eye some of them seemed downright gaudy....at what point is is simply too much? I know design plays a role in this as well. What are your philosophies/thoughts on the use of figured woods and veneers?

[George Bregar]

Not a big fan especially is large pieces or panels.

[Joe Jensen]

I've been at this for 25 years. Now that I have a whole house full of furniture, I am gravitating more to heirloom pieces, and IMHO the wood is everything. I'm not saying that I want all busy figure, and I only use super premium stuff. Maybe I'm leaning more toward simple design with fantastic wood.

The thing I'd rather see very little of is multiple woods that don't necessarily go well together in a piece. Why build a table with cherry legs, walnut skirts, and a maple top. (Well that's why we build our own stiff :rolleyes:) And, for me, I dislike purple heart as a contrast wood with almost anything.

I built 8 jewelry chests as gifts last year for christmas and I used AAAAA instrument grade curly maple. Simple design to showcase the fantastic wood. I'll be building a dining room suite in the next few years and it will likely be top grade curly walnut or curly koa. The chairs will be Maloof inspired out of the same curly material...joe

[Paul Girouard]

That like asking how many woodworkers can you place on the head of a pin :D or some such.

My work tends to be functional, figured wood is some times used , but in a simple way. If that make sense:confused:

Pieces that are all figured wood can sometimes be more / all about the wood and have little or no function. I like a balance between the two.

I do not recall ever building some thing that would just and/ or only be looked at.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Like George, I tend to play down highly figured wood in larger pieces.....especially in pieces like display cabinets where the case is made to show the piece. Something like a table can get more figure. I love working with mesquite but it can get too overpowering for me in a hurry.

I have been wanting to build a piece with complimenting/contrasting woods for some time but have yet to come up with something that looks like something other than circus furniture.

[Cody Colston]

I see lots of pieces of all sizes on the forums that IMHO are way too heavy on figure and too light on design/craftsmanship. I like a well proportioned, well crafted piece out of Pine better than I do one less well made out of Tiger Maple.

[Wade Lippman]

I built a desk organizer out of pommele bubinga. I was going to make the drawer faces out of spalted beech, but my wife pointed out it was hideous. I switched to slightly curly maple and it was much nicer because it was much plainer.

Interesting thing is, I deliberately put the draw faces in with the grain running the wrong way, even though the tolerances were pretty tight. It looked better with horizontal curls, and I figured that if they stuck or got sloppy loose I would just remake them out of something else running the right way. 3 years later they are just fine with no apparent changes from season to season. Makes me wonder if "wood movement" is overblown.

[Rich Schneider]

You've come up with the exact words I was looking for when I was trying to formulate the original question. Thanks Cody! It seems sometimes people sometimes try to compensate for a lack of design/craftsmanship by using heavily figured woods. To me figured and exoctic woods should primarly be used to accent the design and provide a focal point.



I see lots of pieces of all sizes on the forums that IMHO are way too heavy on figure and too light on design/craftsmanship. I like a well proportioned, well crafted piece out of Pine better than I do one less well made out of Tiger Maple.