Ripple figure in timber
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries. A guide to the use of urban timber (FB 50) was written by Geoff Cooper and published by BRE on 31 July 2012.
The guide suggests that ripple figure, or fiddle-back figure is:
| ...a series of closely grouped horizontal bands most often seen on the radial cut surface of sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus. This figure is an optical effect caused by variations in the alignment of wood fibres. It is the result of the axial elements of the tree undulating through the stem giving a transverse barred effect on the radial cut face. |
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