Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

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.

2nd December 2016, 09:51 PM	#16
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,698	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.