is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

Oregon Myrtle has a most beautiful flame if resawn correctly.
PC
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

The texture makes my cheek hairs stand on end. It's like a cross-section of ancient tree roots. It also reminds me of the burned face of The Dark Knight's Two-Face and (censored gory content which will freak you out)
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

I weep for this board.

I havent found a redwood figuring I didnt like, and the figure of korina can be completely stunning as well.
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

kilphody said:
Oregon Myrtle has a most beautiful flame if resawn correctly.
PC
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You're not kidding...

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Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

I did want to add a few things. First off, Cairo Walnut can have amazing figure in it. Unfortunately, Cairo Walnut (from the West Coast) is bad to split easy unlike Black Walnut (from the East Coast.)

Guitar builders tend to get their wood from planks where the wood grain is straight. But woodworkers such as woodturners get their wood from where a branch of the tree meets the main stalk of the tree, known as "the crotch." (No, I'm not making that up.) Where the wood takes a turn out from the main part of the tree has a lot of figure. So my main point is that you can have figure in any wood, it just depends which part of the tree you get it from.

My final thought I hope is not too far off topic. In the realm of figured wood is also "spalted wood." It's where the fungus has started to eat at the wood, and makes great colors. For years it was thought to be nothing better than firewood, but woodworkers have recently begun to make use of it in different ways. It makes a nice guitar top, but you can't really use it for the body as the wood is too weak. Here's a great article on how you can spalt your own wood.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/spalt-your-own-lumber.aspx


With different funguses come different patterns and colors. As the article states, white grained wood is usually the best to use, as spalting will show up on it easier. But you can use just about any wood you want. Again, I have a preference for black walnut.

I hope I have enlightened the forum a little bit.
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

Boogie Bill said:
Martin has used quilted and flamed mahogany on some of their upscale guitars, but it is very rare, and very expensive.

Bill
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I have an MIJ thinline tele and an old melody maker that each has a little figure in it. I would love to have a guitar with a significant amount of figuring in the mahogany, that would be a stunningly beautiful guitar.
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

There are more woods that have wild figuring, maybe not exactly flame or quilt but they look spectacular. Search online for shops that sell figured woods for furniture, cabinetry and instruments. You will be surprised with the beauty. These are just a few examples.

Flame Koa:


Olive wood:


Camphor Burl:


Burl mahogany:
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Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

Letus said:
What specifically is required to develop a flame or any texture on wood?
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The tree needs to be gnarly instead of straight, the wood needs to be cut in a different way than simply producing lumber (although not terribly different but as its less economical for mills it happens far less), and the wood may get a grain enhancing finish of some sort. Most woods known for their beautiful grain tend to only need a little bit of clearcoat and they're radiant.
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

From the tree's perspective, figuring is actually a defect in the tree, and it can occur in all sorts of trees. However, it's quite common in maple – not so much so in most of the other species that are used for guitars. I guess maple must be more disease prone than many of those other types of trees.
 
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ItsaBass said:
From the tree's perspective, figuring is actually a defect in the tree, and it can occur in all sorts of trees. However, it's quite common in maple – not so much so in most of the other species that are used for guitars. I guess maple must be more disease prone than many of those other types of trees.
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So are the bacteria actually detrimental to the tree's health? It's just a matter of time till trees rights activists pop up to try to prevent flamed woods from actually existing. 'Hey, trees feel pain too!'
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

jon the art guy said:
The tree needs to be gnarly instead of straight, the wood needs to be cut in a different way than simply producing lumber (although not terribly different but as its less economical for mills it happens far less), and the wood may get a grain enhancing finish of some sort. Most woods known for their beautiful grain tend to only need a little bit of clearcoat and they're radiant.
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I meant to ask, 'What are the necessary prerequisites for a tree to develop a bacterially created texture?'
 
Re: is maple the only wood you can get a flame or quilt from?

Letus said:
I meant to ask, 'What are the necessary prerequisites for a tree to develop a bacterially created texture?'
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If you're talking about spalting, it can be anything from excess moisture to incursions of other plants or bugs around it that tampers with it's little ecosystem. What makes a fungus happen? Same sort of thing. It gets under the bark and into the wood. Luckily trees are very hardy.
 
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