FIGURED MAPLE
Figured Maple is prized for its beauty. The “Figure” can be quilted, flame, tiger, curly and fiddleback. These special pieces of wood are frequently used in the manufacturer of musical instruments. Our billets come from one of the leading suppliers of music grade wood to luthiers around the globe. These billets, while excellent examples of figured maple, have a minor defect either a discoloration or minor pin knot that does not allow them to be graded instrument quality. The heartwood is typically a light tan to reddish brown color and the sapwood is usually cream colored with a reddish tint. Fine, even texture with a curly grain pattern ranging from tight fiddleback to wavy.
CHATOYANCY
You may not know the term “chatoyance”, but you’ve probably seen it. The term derives from the French word “chatoyer”, which means “to shine like a cat’s eye.” If you’ve ever seen the semi-precious stone tiger’s eye, you get the idea. In woodworking, chatoyance is a similarly striking optical quality in which areas of light and dark grain shift and change position depending on the angle of view.
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