Sewar

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 2nd December 2016, 01:24 PM

Please review http://www.wood-database.com/narra/ where some interesting wood detail is outlined ...This wood is apparently the worlds most expensive.

Battara · 2nd December 2016, 04:17 PM

Regarding narra wood, the closer to the center one gets, the redder it gets and the further away from the center, the browner it gets.

Paduk wood, narra's African cousin, is totally red like the inside of the narra tree.

Narra is all over the Philippines/Indonesia/Malaysia, but it is a nearly endangered and is no longer shipped as easily as once before. Other groups may call it under different local names. Most Moro scabbards up to the early 20th century were made of this wood, and I have noticed that Indonesians and Malayians used this wood once as well.

A. G. Maisey · 2nd December 2016, 09:51 PM

Seems as if narra and sono kembang are one and the same.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus_indicus

I didn't realise that sono kembang was the same as amboyna burl. I've used amboyna burl for knife handles, and I did not recognise it as sono kembang. The sono kembang that I am used to seeing is sono that has been either quarter sawn or rift sawn, if the wood was from a sono burl, or from a sono root system, in Jawa it would called "gembol", that is "sono gembol".

Still, we must understand the distinction between quarter sawn heartwood, and wood taken from a burl or from a root system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_sawing

As Battara has mentioned, as we come closer to the center of a log of wood, the more intense the colour becomes, in the trunk of a tree we have the sapwood on the outside, which is normally white, and the heartwood on the inside which can be a variety of colours. Even with black ebony, the sapwood is white.

However, in burls and root systems the outer wood is often not white, as is sapwood, but just a lighter shade of the wood that is towards the center.

This sewar hilt might look different in the hand, but what I can see in the photos is a grain pattern that is typical of quarter sawn wood, not of a burl, and not of a root.

Think about this:- jati gembol, or gembol jati, is teak burl. It can be a very beautiful wood, but ordinary teak is about as exciting as rolled oats for breakfast. Another example is walnut, the wood from the trunk is a very plain grain, except where something like a crotch or an injury distorts the grain, but good burl walnut --- which is now almost impossible to get in decent size pieces --- is truly exceptional wood.

Burl and root wood looks very different to wood taken from a trunk or a major branch.

Here are some pics of amboyna burl:-

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=a...HYpqCEAQsAQIHw

Here are some pics of quarter sawn wood:-

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=a...awn+wood+grain

note that the burl has a convoluted grain, the quarter sawn wood has a striated grain.

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2nd December 2016, 01:24 PM	#1
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Please review http://www.wood-database.com/narra/ where some interesting wood detail is outlined ...This wood is apparently the worlds most expensive.

2nd December 2016, 04:17 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,310	Regarding narra wood, the closer to the center one gets, the redder it gets and the further away from the center, the browner it gets. Paduk wood, narra's African cousin, is totally red like the inside of the narra tree. Narra is all over the Philippines/Indonesia/Malaysia, but it is a nearly endangered and is no longer shipped as easily as once before. Other groups may call it under different local names. Most Moro scabbards up to the early 20th century were made of this wood, and I have noticed that Indonesians and Malayians used this wood once as well.

2nd December 2016, 09:51 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Seems as if narra and sono kembang are one and the same. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus_indicus I didn't realise that sono kembang was the same as amboyna burl. I've used amboyna burl for knife handles, and I did not recognise it as sono kembang. The sono kembang that I am used to seeing is sono that has been either quarter sawn or rift sawn, if the wood was from a sono burl, or from a sono root system, in Jawa it would called "gembol", that is "sono gembol". Still, we must understand the distinction between quarter sawn heartwood, and wood taken from a burl or from a root system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_sawing As Battara has mentioned, as we come closer to the center of a log of wood, the more intense the colour becomes, in the trunk of a tree we have the sapwood on the outside, which is normally white, and the heartwood on the inside which can be a variety of colours. Even with black ebony, the sapwood is white. However, in burls and root systems the outer wood is often not white, as is sapwood, but just a lighter shade of the wood that is towards the center. This sewar hilt might look different in the hand, but what I can see in the photos is a grain pattern that is typical of quarter sawn wood, not of a burl, and not of a root. Think about this:- jati gembol, or gembol jati, is teak burl. It can be a very beautiful wood, but ordinary teak is about as exciting as rolled oats for breakfast. Another example is walnut, the wood from the trunk is a very plain grain, except where something like a crotch or an injury distorts the grain, but good burl walnut --- which is now almost impossible to get in decent size pieces --- is truly exceptional wood. Burl and root wood looks very different to wood taken from a trunk or a major branch. Here are some pics of amboyna burl:- https://www.google.com.au/search?q=a...HYpqCEAQsAQIHw Here are some pics of quarter sawn wood:- https://www.google.com.au/search?q=a...awn+wood+grain note that the burl has a convoluted grain, the quarter sawn wood has a striated grain.