Curly maple is sought out by woodworkers
Curly maple is commonly known to woodworkers for the unique grain that is created by the grain of the wood. Seeing curly maple in the wild is not common, and can be quite astounding as you try to uncover why the tree grew in such a unique way. Let's explore how we get such a fun formation.
How does curly maple form?
There have been no definitive studies about what causes the formation of curled grain within trees. There are quite a few theories. One is that curly maple is formed from compression of the weight of a tree. This theory would signify that curled wood is most commonly seen towards the base of the tree as we see in this photo. Another theory is that it is based on where the tree is growing. If it is on a hillside, the tree may end up twisting. Consistent wind on one side of a tree is also thought to cause the grain to curl. This could be the case with this tree, as a stiff wind was constantly coming over the side of the hill that it was growing atop.
Curly Maple Visual
When you look at curly maple that has been prepared for woodworking through shaping and planing, it has a surprising visual effect. The wood gives an appearance of having a second set of grain that runs contradictory to the underlying grain of the wood. This is the optical illusion of the curl, which is sometimes called tiger striping. The optical illusion is known as chatoyancy, or cat's eye effect, when described with gemstones, wood, and carbon fibers. This is caused by the reflected light from the wood being perpendicular to the direction of the grain. You can see an example of the grain pattern that causes this below.
I took this photo while out for a hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my wife, Jill. We were in the first few miles of a 17.1 mile day hike that took us about eight hours to complete. The hike began easily enough by crossing a small stream and following its bank for about a mile. We then spent the next 6 miles going steeply uphill. We saw this curly maple as we got to the top of the ascent. The air was full of the classic fog that is the namesake of the national park. Stopping to take this photo was a good respite for our quads, and a great opportunity to see in nature what I had before only seen in the woodshop.
The visual effect is called chatoyancy
Did you know?
- Curly maple is also known as flame maple and tiger maple.
- There are 132 species of maple throughout the world!
- Only one species of maple is found in the southern hemisphere.
- They can grow to be 150 feet tall.
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