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Welcome to episode A of the wood whisper video broadcast. I am your host Marc Spagnuolo, and today I think I am going do a lot of talking. I was planning on making this a type text post but I figured that you would be much happier seeing my smiling face, instead of reading some boring old text.
So today we are going to talk about science. Do not worry, I promise it will be interesting and helpful. Now, if you have an experience that already you will soon realize that many woods change color overtime. Since our design choices often depend on the colors we select it is critical that we understand what the piece will look like tomorrow, next year and ten years from now. So let us dig right in.
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Now Nicole and I have been spending the last few evenings giving our business website from Marc’s Wood Creations a complete overhaul. Part of the plan includes an updated picture gallery. Well, I was going to throw out my old wood working pictures and I came across this picture of my router table just after I completed it. The padouk trim is a screaming orange-red color, and the cherry drawer fronts are almost indistinguishable from the maple door that is on the bottom. A friend of mine once describes this piece as router table in drag.
Now, that is after two years and here is what the piece looks like today. Aside from the fact that it is a little beat up, notice dramatic difference in the colors. The padouk turn into a much duller dark burgundy color, and the cherry is turn into that classic medium brown age cherry color. And now it is quite obvious that the drawers are cherry and the bottom doors maple.
Now, when I made this piece I was well aware that the color changes, we are going to be in store for it. But since it was for shop furniture I did not really care, but imagine if I made this piece for my living room and I wanted all the drawers and the doors to look similar. I would be pretty disappointed right about now. And to further complicate things, look at how drastic and obvious the difference is between the heart wood and the sap wood, and the two right top drawers.
As wood workers, we have a wonderful palette of colors to choose from when it comes to our hard wood selection. Yellow heart, Purple Heart and padouk, just to name a few, are all priced for their amazingly vivid colors. Now, we know what these woods would look like when their fresh cut. But, what would they look like after several years? Now, unfortunately we do not have enough time to go over every wood out there. But, I would like to at least highlight a few of the common exotics, as well as to discuss some of the science behind the wood colors themselves and the differences between heart wood and sap wood. And if I find any links relevant to wood colors, I would post them in a write up that accompanies this broadcast.
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So you might be wondering what makes wood colored in the first place? And why are some bush straight with light areas and dark areas? And if you were not wondering, seat down, and shut up and learn something for once. Sorry about that. Just had a flash back, well, anyway, what you are looking at when you see the distinct line between a dark color and a lighter color area? Like on these piece of zebra wood, actually. This is the separation of heart wood and sap wood. Now, the sap wood is nearly always a light cream color and the heart wood is usually a darker color. Now as a wood transition from sap wood to the heart wood, the cells walls will contain compounds known as extractives. These extractives serve several functions, including the K resistance and durability. At the property that we are interested in today is the fact that they are usually pigmented. Now these pigment is what gives the wood its characteristics color. Walnut’s brown, purple heart’s purple and so on. As a result, the heart wood is what we as wood workers are usually interested in.
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