# Wood grain > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wood_grain > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wood_grain.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_grain > Source revision: 1348871863 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Alignment and texture of the fibres in wood}} {{Other uses|Wood grain (disambiguation)}} [[File:Lodgepole pine spiral grain.jpg|thumb|The weathered trunk of a [lodgepole pine](/source/Pinus_contorta) tree showing an extremely spiral grain]] '''Wood grain''' is the longitudinal arrangement of [wood](/source/wood) fibers or the [pattern](/source/pattern) resulting from such an arrangement. It has various derived terms refer to different aspects of the fibers or patterns. Wood grain is important in [woodworking](/source/woodworking) and it impacts [aesthetics](/source/aesthetics). ==Definition and meanings== Wood grain is the longitudinal arrangement of [wood](/source/wood) fibers"grain, n.1". def 15. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 or the pattern resulting from such an arrangement.{{Cite web |title=grain |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grain |access-date=13 Jan 2015 |website=Dictionary.com Unabridged |publisher=Random House, Inc. |at=def. 7 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410162514/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grain |url-status=live }} [R. Bruce Hoadley](/source/R._Bruce_Hoadley) wrote that ''grain'' is a "confusingly versatile term" with numerous different uses, including the direction of the wood cells (e.g., ''straight grain'', ''spiral grain''), surface appearance or [figure](/source/Figure_(wood)), [growth-ring](/source/Growth_ring) placement (e.g., ''vertical grain''), plane of the cut (e.g., ''end grain''), rate of growth (e.g., ''narrow grain''), and relative cell size (e.g., ''open grain'').Hoadley, R. Bruce. "Glossary." ''Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology''. Newtown, Conn.: Taunton, 1980. 265. Print. ==Physical aspects== Grain in growing wood follows the grown fibres of the timber and is mostly, but not entirely, longitudinal to the [trunk](/source/Trunk_(botany)) of the [tree](/source/tree). This can be influenced in [branches](/source/Branch), where the effect of [gravity](/source/gravity) on the branch can distort the regularity of [timber](/source/Lumber) structure, compared to a vertical trunk. For this reason, branch wood is often not usable, or is of less value. === Growing === [[File:Plain quarter sawn.png|thumb|Sketch of A—[Quarter-sawn](/source/Quarter-sawn) & B—[flat-sawn](/source/Flat_sawing)]]In describing the alignment of the wood in the tree, a distinction may be made. Different tree species may have one of the following basic grain descriptions and types:{{cite web |url=https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-grain-texture/ |title=Wood Grain/Texture |last=Meier |first=Eric |date=2019 |website=The Wood Database |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822214342/http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-grain-texture |url-status=live }} * ''straight'' - grain which runs in a single direction, parallel to the axis of the tree. * ''spiral'' - grain which spirals around the axis of the tree. * ''interlocked'' - grain which spirals around the axis of the tree, but reverses its direction for periods of years resulting in alternating directions of the spiral grain. On [quartersawn](/source/quartersawn) surfaces the change in grain direction creates a ribbon stripe figure. * ''wavy'' - grain which grows in a wavy fashion up the trunk; seen best in [flatsawn](/source/Flat_sawing) sections of wood. * ''irregular'' - grain that swirls or twists. It can be found in a number of different patterns. This can be caused by factors such as knots, burls or "crotch" wood - where large branches separate from the trunk. === Aesthetic === In most timber, the grain of the timber is not the primary aesthetic feature. This is instead the ''figure'' of the timber, which is produced by the annual growth rings. In most timber, especially deciduous hardwoods, this is much more visible than the grain. === Mechanical strength === The two categories of grain in a piece of sawn timber are '''straight grain''' or '''{{visible anchor|Long grain|text=long grain}}''' and '''cross grain''' or '''{{visible anchor|Short grain|text=short grain}}'''. Straight grain runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the piece. Cross grain deviates from the longitudinal axis in two ways: '''spiral grain''' or '''diagonal grain'''. The amount of deviation is called the '''slope of the grain'''. Bulk timber is much stronger along the grain, so a finished piece with long grain will be much stronger than one with short grain. Much of [joinery](/source/joinery) is about techniques to manage this and to avoid having pieces with short grain. [Furniture](/source/Furniture), especially [chair](/source/chair)s, has developed traditional designs to resist breakage by careful orientation of the grain. In shipbuilding, curved construction is often needed and so [knee](/source/knee_(construction))s would be chosen when growing, from branches or branch junctions with a trunk, and then these could be incorporated into a design to match their natural curved grain to the curve of the finished component. == Woodworking == An important physical aspect of wood grain in [woodworking](/source/woodworking) is the grain direction or slope (e.g., ''against the grain''). In describing the application of a woodworking technique to a given piece of wood, the direction of the technique may be: * ''with the grain'' (easy; giving a clean result) * ''against the grain'' (heavy going; giving a poor result such as chipping or tear-out) * ''across the grain'' (direction of cut is across the grain lines, but the plane of the cut is still aligned with them) * ''end grain'' (at right angles to the grain, for example trimming the end of a plank) Woods with straight grains are the easiest to work, while woods with interlocked grains are the most difficult. === Support === Grain alignment must be considered when [joining](/source/Woodworking_joints) pieces of wood, or designing wooden structures. For example, a [stressed](/source/Stress_(mechanics)) span is less likely to fail if tension is applied along the grain, rather than across the grain. Grain direction will also affect the type of [warping](/source/Wood_warping) seen in the finished item.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-26 |title=Wood Movement |url=https://www.woodworkdetails.com/knowledge/wood/movement/ |website=Woodwork Details |language=en-US |access-date=2023-08-07 |archive-date=2023-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619151212/https://www.woodworkdetails.com/knowledge/wood/movement/ |url-status=live }} ==Aesthetics== thumb|right|typically figured red gum table [[File:MountainAshFloor.jpg|thumb|mountain ash floor, showing some [fiddleback](/source/flame_maple) figure]] In its simplest aesthetic meaning, wood grain is the alternating regions of relatively darker and lighter wood resulting from the differing growth parameters occurring in different seasons (i.e., [growth rings](/source/dendrochronology)) on a cut or split piece of wood. [Figure](/source/Figure_(wood)) in wood is produced by causes including fungus, [burls](/source/burls), stress, knots, and special grain alignments. Strictly speaking, grain is not always the same as the figure of wood. Figure rarity often promotes the value of both the raw material, and the finished work it becomes a part of. These include: * [bird's eye](/source/Birdseye_maple) * [quilted](/source/Quilt_maple) * [curly (fiddleback)](/source/flame_maple) The way a given piece of wood has been sawn affects both its appearance and physical properties: * [''flat-grain''](/source/Flat_sawing): flat-sawn, slab-sawn, plain sawn, bastard-sawn,Punmia, B.C., Ashok Kumar Jain, and Arun Kumar Jain. ''Basic civil engineering: for B.E. / B.Tech first year courses of various universities including M.D.U. and K.U.'', Haryana. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications, 2003. 78. Print. or sawn "through and through". * ''edge grain'': [quarter-sawn](/source/quarter-sawn) or [rift-sawn](/source/rift_sawing) or straight-grained, and * ''end grain'': the grain of wood seen when it is cut across the growth rings. There is irregular grain in [burr wood](/source/burr_wood) or burl wood, but this is result of very many knots. ==See also== * [Grain painting](/source/Grain_painting) * [Grain filler](/source/Grain_filler) * [Wood finishing](/source/Wood_finishing) ==References== {{Commons}} {{Reflist}} {{Woodworking}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood Grain}} Grain Grain Category:Wood --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wood grain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_grain) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_grain?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.