Solid Wood Furniture: Natural Wood Variation and Wood Properties
An endless variety of patterns occur in wood creating a rich diverse surface that is unique from piece to piece.
Knots
Knots are a type of imperfection in a piece of wood that vary in shape, size, and color. There are all sorts of different types of knots ranging from closed knot, open knot, black ring knot, red ring knot, sound knot, unsound knot pin not and knot cluster. You will notice growth rings around these knots that typically shows the age of the wood.
Black Line
Black line is also known as Spalting. This is caused by fungus growing in trees and logs. In this effect, it produces black streaks usually growing with the grain. This can result in a beautiful marbling. Wood types that are prone to spalting are woods such as maple, birch, and beech.
Tiger Grain
The unique tiger stripe grain pattern can be commonly found in red oak, white oak, hard maple, soft maple, and other wood species. The tiger stripes are mostly found along with burl grain. Wood with these grain characteristic is usually quite dense compared to other species of wood types. This makes it quite difficult to work with and sand so pieces with such characteristics generally cost a lot more than your average furniture.
Color Variation
Color variation refers to the different colors in the wood grain. It is the range of colors that can occur within the species of wood. This characteristic is often the reason that a wood piece made with this type of wood to have character. Color variations in the wood can be enhanced with a clear or light finish. However, some may prefer to tone down the color variation by adding a dark stain to the wood piece.
Shadow
Shadow or sticker stain can appear in white woods. This stain appears on the wood during the processing of the lumber. It is a chemical nature that is leftover during the drying process from the contact with stickers. Weather conditions during the drying process can also affect the coloring, which is difficult to control in certain weather conditions. The stain that is left over is usually quite deep and impossible to remove from the surface.