Tips for what to look for in maple tonewood for violins

What is that fanstastic wood that violin backs are made of? Usually maple! The wood often has incredible flaming and figuring and in the right lutheirs hands is a real work of art. And don;t think that fantastic figuring like that is easy to find. It isn't. Not all trees have it - only some. And it is quite rare to findreally string figuring that is so highly prized for instruments.

For the botanists among you, ahorn, arable and sycamore are all names for maple in different countries. These terms all mean the same thing.

Figuring or flaming in maple is a slight genetic modification that occurs in some woods. When the timber is split it has a “corrugated” surface and when planed smooth the light is reflected differently at the tops, sides and bottom of the waves. The deeper the wave the greater the ripple effect in the wood. This is highly prized and makers will search out figured maple to carve their violins backs.It is more difficult to find high figuring in larger sizes of woods.

The key areas for providing this timber are the French, Swiss and German Alps again, Bosnia and Yugoslavia and the UK.

In the UK, Welsh, English and Scottish Sycamore is an excellent source with much of this timber finding its way to Europe in log form.

As you can see in the pictures below the ripple can be very fine or - as I like it - very wild with different widths and directions in it. Sometimes the ripple is at right angles to the grain and sometimes it is at an angle of 10-20 degrees to the right angle. Again I have a preference for this type of timber. Every Luthier has his or her own preferences.

• I like the growth lines to be straight and fairly close together showing that the timber has grown slowly.
• I like to see both well formed ripple/flame in either narrow bands across the timber or as a wilder format.
• I prefer no knots or branches though I might accept a small defect as I might make a feature out of it.
• The 2 pieces should be well cut on the quarter and the halves should be true bookmarked halves with plenty of thickness in both pieces and with extra length to allow you to decide where the figure should sit on the piece. I also like to draw the violin half shape onto the timber so that I can see how it will look. It’s like framing a picture. I also would do this with a one piece back as well to see how it will look.
• Like most Luthiers I also like to see the timber in strong daylight and I move both halves together to see how the figure catches the light. If the timber has been cut correctly both halves will respond to the light identically. If the timber is not on the quarter there will be a delay in the reflection from one half when you move the 2 parts together.
• I also like to see the medullary rays in the timber. They add a further dimension to how the timber looks. They run at right angles to the figure and carry sap from the bark to the centre of the tree. They are not always clearly visible. Unfigured Maple is used for Bridges as it is less likely to break than figured maple. Bridges have to carry very high string tensions so that is why unfigured maple is used. Not everyone likes to see the medullary rays and is often described as making the surface of the timber look a bit speckled.
• I am lucky in that I have usually seen the trees standing prior to them being felled. I like to see them standing vertical on level ground, with no major boughs low down and no twist in the tree. Twist can be seen as a spiral in the bark over the length of the tree. Also I like the place that they were grown in to be sheltered from the prevailing wind. Trees that are bent or have been growing against the prevailing wind will have stresses in them that may come out during manufacture or affect how an instrument finally sounds. I also like to know that they were felled in the winter months.
• I like to know where the tree has come from. It’s usually been standing for some time and there is history attached to it. We felled a tree recently and when we started cutting it we found shotgun pellets that had been fired 150 years ago. The tree had continued to grow around the pellets. Have a think about this. There would have been no electricity, no cars, no supermarkets, Darwin would have not even have started his theory on the Evolution of Species. Just a Farmer or Land Owner out trying to catch his tea – looks like he might have gone hungry!.
• I would also tap the timber wedge or plate to see if I can hear a sound.
• If it’s a one piece back I like to see the flame extending across the whole blank. Often the flame becomes less the closer to the centre it gets.
• I like one face planed so I can clearly see the growth and the figure.
• I often take a slightly damp rag and wipe it across the surface. Then you get a clear picture of what the flame will look like when its varnished.

We sell small quantities of good quality Scottish figured sycamore tonewood. If you are interested contact us

If you are also interested in spruce follow this link

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