GRAIN AND TEXTURE IN WOOD. 

 By Samuel J. Record. 



Much confusion exists not only in the popular conception but 

 also in the minds of professional men and authors regarding the 

 proper use and meaning of the terms 'grain' and 'texture' as 

 applied to wood. Many writers use the terms interchangeably 

 and without defining them. Others who attempt definitions fail 

 consistently to agree, as will appear from the following excerpts. 



Boulger^ explains his use of the term 'grain" thus : 



"The elements of the wood are generally parallel in 

 direction to the axis of the stem or limb in which they 

 occur — i. e. the wood is straight grained; but they may be 

 spirally twisted round the stem, or oblique, in which latter 

 case if successive layers lie in the opposite directions the 

 wood is cross grained. A slightly wavy longitudinal 

 course in the elements of the wood produces the condition 

 known as curly grain, frequent in maple ; whilst slight 

 projections or depressions repeated on the outer surface of 

 successive annual layers produce the bird's-eye and 

 landscape varieties in the same wood." 



It appears from this statement that the arrangement of the 

 wood elements determines grain. 



Laslett- refers to grain as "the lines and planes of structure." 

 Again he says : 



"Grain — a term it is not easy to define, but which refers 

 to the kind of surface — rough, smooth, coarse or fine — left 

 after the action of a tool." 



This co-.H-cption agrees fairly with that of Boulger, that grain 

 is concerned with the arrangement of the wood elements. 



Baterden^ in his recent work defines a specific use of the term : 



"Wood is called 'coarse grained' or of 'bigger bait' if the 

 annual rings are wide apart, and 'fine grained' if they are 

 close." 



^"Wood" by Boulger, second edition, pp. 32-33. 

 ^ "Timber and Timber Trees" by Laslett, page 4. 

 "^ "Timber" by J. R. Baterden. page 11. 



