'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 tbis 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 tbis 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 
