One of the most important original arts in Iran is called Marquetry, in which Isfahan province is known as the most famous city. If you enter the markets of Isfahan, you will see a variety of marquetry wooden utensils and tools that will definitely encourage anyone to buy some marquetry handicrafts for themselves or as a gift for friends. But have you ever wondered what properties a good wood for marquetry should have? Do you think any type of wood can be used for woodcarving?
For those who would like to know the answers to such questions, or for those who are new to the marquetry profession, we have written an article that will acquaint them with the types of wood suitable for woodcarving.
What Are the Properties of Wood Suitable for Marquetry?
Artists in the field of wooden handicrafts know well what kind of wood they should go for to perform any art. Marquetry is the art in which artists perform carvings on wood using special tools. Certainly, in addition to the delicacy of the artist and the tools used, the most important factor that affects the final result is the type of wood used for woodcarving. In fact, even if the artist is highly skilled in this field but does not choose good wood, he cannot get a good output. The characteristics of wood suitable for woodcarving are:
– Since marquetry works are to be carved on wood with special tools, the very high resistance of wood to abrasion and carving is required. You may think that resistance means difficulty in carving on wood, while this mentality is completely wrong. In fact, we should choose a type of wood that, while having a good tooling ability, has a high resistance to carving and does not crack or break with a small impact. In fact, the softness of wood texture, along with its strength and durability, is considered an important factor in choosing the right wood for inlay work.
– Selected sticks should not have knots.
– And finally, the color and beauty of the design used on wood is another factor that should be considered when choosing wood for woodcarving.
Suitable Wood for Marquetry
Among the types of wood that exist, only some of them are suitable for the art of inlay, we will introduce the most common ones:
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Walnut wood
Walnut wood has a fine and strong texture; It has good resistance and at the same time its tooling ability is excellent. Among the available woods, walnut wood is colorful and well-made, its fibers are arranged regularly and irregularly with very beautiful patterns. These few factors have made walnut wood one of the best woods for woodcarving. Of course, the color of the wood should not be forgotten as well, because, in the field of woodcarving, the color of the wood will naturally be the final determinant of the beauty of the wooden device.
The outer part of the walnut wood is light brownish gray and the inner part is light brown to dark brown. This color contrast makes this wood more beautiful.
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Planetree wood
Planetree is another suitable option for marquetry. Among the factors that make the sycamore tree attractive for green space, its engravings are very important, and this beauty has made it known as a suitable wood for the art of woodcarving and inlay. The patterns on the sycamore wood are known as the fly wings pattern. Plane wood is in the group of semi-heavy and semi-hard woods, it is homogeneous and of a straight-lined texture and is very similar to beech wood in terms of texture. Color differences are also observed in plane wood. The outer part is yellowish and the inner part is pinkish gray.
Of course, the older the sycamore tree is, the browner it becomes. Therefore, depending on the efficiency of the wood, we must consider the appropriate time to cut the sycamore tree.
read more: Wood Products Care & Maintenance Instructions
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Beechwood
The beech tree is abundant in the northern parts of Iran because beech needs acidic soils. Since we have to go for high-density wood for woodcarving, beech wood and walnut wood are the best choices in this regard.
More Article: Beech wood vs walnut wood
The Importance of Choosing the Right Wood for Marquetry
If you go for wood handicrafts that are inlaid, you will notice price fluctuations among different types of handicrafts. Of course, the type of wood used in these tools accounts for a large part of the costs, but the delicacy of the artist’s work is also a very effective factor in this regard. Of course, if the wood used in woodcarving has a very high density and strength and is at an ideal level in terms of durability, the value of those handicrafts will definitely be much higher and therefore the cost of labor will increase. Of course, for those who are just starting, we suggest not to spend money on expensive wood.
Certainly, professors instruct students to start with low-cost wood so that they can move on to more expensive wood if they are interested in continuing the Marquetry and when they have reached the ideal level of delicacy.
