On this page you will find various examples of the grain patterns found in the wood we use for our furniture.
Straight grained timber is all that seems to be used in main stream furniture manufacturing. The main reason for this is the trees have been grown specifically for use in the furniture industry as straight grained timber is easier to work and more predictable; it can be sanded and planed without tearing.
However, pick up a piece of timber with a knot in the centre and you'll see where the grain has changed direction and grown around it. This sort of timber is harder to work and takes longer to create a decent finish but the results are well worth the effort.
In the photos we've tried to show the different grain patterns found in the wood we use and in some cases how they're formed.
English Yew:
Of all the timbers we use, Yew has by far the most unpredictable grain colour. In this photo starting from the right we see the cream colour of the outer wood and as we move across the boards the colour changes to orange, purple, pink, grey/black, deep purple and back to cream & pink.
As the wood drys these colours become deeper and more defined as can be seen in the photo below of a table top made from 2 pieces of yew.
In the photo above knots and grain swirls can be seen, this photo shows what those knots and swirls look like when the board is first cut.
Figured Oak:
Figured Oak is the most highly prized of all oak grains because of the unusual marks running across the grain; these patterns are achieved when the tree is milled in a particular way. These marks are called Medullary Rays and allow the radial transmission of sap from old to new growth.
The photo below shows a cross section of oak grain, the tiny dots are the cells which make up the growth rings and the vertical lines are the Medullary Rays joining them together.
Because the rays are mainly sap they will not take a stain and so once the wood is polished the rays become more prominent.
Pippy:
Similar in appearance to Burr, Pippy grain is created when several branches have started to grow and are then covered by subsequent growth.
Because the knots that make up this type of grain pattern have not died they tend not to fall out when the tree is milled into planks.
This type of graining is normally found in boards cut close to the outside of the trunk. The dark brown patch at the far right of the picture below is the inner part of the bark of the tree.
Burr:
Burrs are an abnormal growth usually caused by an
infection or injury to the tree which creates an interwoven, contorted
or gnarly mass of dense woody tissue. Common to a lot of trees
especially those that can reproduce by stooling.
The dark patches on the Sweet Chestnut trunk shown
above are all burrs, they stick out from the bark about 2 inches, where
as in the photo below the burr growth sticks out from this tree 6 - 7
inches.
The photo below shows the outside of a burr cut from a Sweet Chestnut.
Photo below shows what the grain of a burr looks like
once it has been cleaned up, sanded and polished. Burrs can only be
used in panels or table tops as the interlocking grain is weak and would
not withstand any strain.
This photo shows detail of the burr Oak used in the
back panel of a hall chair.
