Figured Wood For Making Wooden Toys
by Westfarthing Woodworks Westfarthing Woodworks is the resource for new wooUsing figured wood for making wooden toys
is can really bring them to life. Figured wood is simply wood that has a
striking appearance or grain pattern. Most commonly used woods for kids toys
have figured versions that are available to buy. The most common of them all
being Maple, which comes in several types of figure including Flamed, Quilted,
Curly, and Spalted.
This is a piece of Curly Maple that I split
open on the table saw. The color is like any other piece of Maple, but notice
the wavy pattern on the board. These are from compression in the tree, and the
result is a more beautiful looking piece of Maple.
Most of the time, figured wood is going to
be more expensive than a plain version of the same species. The rarity is what
drives the price, and figured pieces are always going to be more.
However, if you pick out a species that has
a more common chance of having figured woodworking
present, then you can reduce your expenses a little. Figured Maple is one of
the least expensive you can buy. The pieces are found commonly in Maple trees,
and therefore are not nearly as scarce. That being said, very highly figured
and beautiful pieces can still fetch top dollar, but pieces with a nice amount
of figure are still fairly inexpensive. Look around your local hardwood store
and you will see several examples.
Figured wood changes dramatically when you
apply a finish.
On the surface, figured wood does not tend
to look that much different than plain wood. Once you know what you are looking
for, you will be able to see the subtle differences and pick out a great
looking piece. The real magic in figured wood is when you apply a finish.
The wooden toy wall sander that is pictured
on the left is a perfect example of how a finish works on figured wood. I
applied finish only on the bottom half of the base to show the contrast. The
top section of wood looks nice, but it looks nothing like the bottom area.
Combining figured wood and straight grained
wood can provide contrast.
The straight grain Walnut center also lends
contrast to the Maple. Not only through color, but in the grain as well. The
Walnut has very straight and regular grain lines. In contrast, the Maple has
wavy and irregular markings. These two things combine together to make a wooden
toy that looks far better than if it were made from a couple pieces of wood
without any thought for how they were placed. Figured wood made the difference
here, and the results are beautiful.
If you have any questions on Figured Wood
For Making Wooden
Toys tips, please leave a comment and I will be glad to answer them. Also,
please share my work with your friends on Pinterest! Happy building!
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Created on Sep 28th 2021 01:51. Viewed 223 times.