Figure (wood)

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In wood, figure refers to the appearance of wood, as seen on a longitudinal surface (side-grain): a "figured wood" is not plain.

The figure of a particular piece of wood is, in part, due to its grain and, in part, due to the cut, or to innate properties of the wood. A few of the tropical hardwoods, like the rosewoods, may have a unique figure.

Types of figure include: angel step, "bear scratches," bird's eye, blister, burl, curl, ribbon curl, dimple, fiddleback, flame, wide flame, "ghost", pin stripe, quilted, spalted and tiger stripe.

typically figured red gum table

Birdseye figure in Northern Sugar Maple lumber boards

mountain ash floor, showing some fiddleback figure