"FIGURE" IN TIMBER 321 



An interesting discussion took place some time ago in the 

 columns of the Timber Trades Journal on figure in mahogany, 

 in which many people capable of giving an opinion took 

 part ; various theories were put forward, the consensus of 

 which seemed to be as follows : Mahogany, unlike the oak, 

 never draws its figure from its small and almost unnotice- 

 able medullary rays, but from the twisted condition of its 

 fibres ; the natural growth of mahogany produces a straight 

 wood; what is called "figured" is unnatural and excep- 

 tional, and thus adds to its value as an ornamental wood. 

 These peculiarities are rarely found in the earlier portion of 

 the tree that is near the centre, being in this respect quite 

 different to maple ; they appear when the tree is more 

 fully developed, and consist of bundles of woody fibres 

 which, instead of being laid in straight lines, behave in an 

 erratic manner and are deposited in a twisted form ; some- 

 times it may be caused by the intersection of branches, or 

 possibly by the cracking of the bark pressing on the 

 wood, and thus moving it out of its natural straight 

 course, causing a wavy line which in time becomes 

 accentuated. It will have been observed by most people 

 that the outer portion of a tree is often indented by the 

 bark, and the outer rings often follow a sinuous course 

 which corresponds to this indentation, but in most trees, 

 after a few years, this is evened up and the annual rings 

 assume their nearly circular form ; it is supposed by some 

 that in the case of mahogany this is not the case, and that 

 the indentations are even accentuated. The best figured 

 logs of timber are got from trees which grow in firm rocky 

 soil ; those on low-lying or swampy ground are seldom 

 figured. To the practical woodworker the figure in 

 mahogany causes difficulty in planing the wood to a 

 smooth surface ; some portions plane smooth, others are the 

 " wrong way of the grain." Figure in wood is affected by 

 T. Y 



