Are these marks medullary rays? Please help.

Kraska · Post by **Kraska** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:59 pm

Please can someone advise what these white marks on my table top are ? I've been told these are medullary rays , naturall wood characteristics ,is this correct ? They only appear on one panel and in straight 5cm wide line across the whole table. They differ so much from the rest of the table and look horrible, almost like they were done by the machine... Nothing naturall about them... is there anyway to make them less visible ? They even look worst in real life than on the pictures.

Thank you

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 3:18 pm

those look like contamination stopping the finished treatment covering properly so blotchy ??

Kraska · Post by **Kraska** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:42 pm

Thank you big-all for your reply
Does this mean these are not natural wood characteristic but the finish defects made by manufacturer ?The company I bought this table from is refusing to take it back or even to sent someone to inspect it becouse according to them these are natural wood characteristic .
These look so horrible but the company just don't care...:(

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:12 pm

I have seen that pattern on oak. It is a natural figure in the wood, not machined or filled. The most common figure you see is cats paw like in the bottom right of the last picture. Quite frankly I think you are overfocused on this, it shows the wood is real not a paper veneer.

DWD

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:25 pm

I've had a look at the pic blown up, and (sorry B-A) I reckon it is the "flash" of the medullary rays often seen in quarter sawn oak.
Post a picture of the end grain of that board if you can. The nearer the grain runs from face to face, rather than across the board, then the more likely the flash is to show.

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:07 pm

ok could be wrong but most rays i have seen tend go in swirls and sweeps never seen any quite like that :dunno:

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:33 pm

I thought the same as you when I first saw it BA, but looking at the pic blown up on the computer, it looks more like the rays to me.
You sometimes get little flecks like that where the cut is more angled. In other words, if the boards are cut through and through, which I'd reckon the probably are, then you always get some like that.
Trouble is that without actually examining it first hand it's a best guess.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:43 pm

I am not sure but I think it might be where a branch has been absorbed by the trunk through growth. This has an alternate grain pattern which when cut gives that pattern. I think it is quite pleasing.

DWD

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:43 pm

perhaps iff Kraska can take several pictures around the table then the reflection you typically see with medullary rays may appear ??
as an aside i always say roast beef when i see the rays as you get a similar "glisten" to roast beef

Kraska · Post by **Kraska** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:03 am

Thank you all for your replies , much apreeciated :) I attached few more pictures, I wish I could upload a video for you. I don't know anyhting about wood ( obviously

) so I appreciate your professional opinion:) I've never seen a single table with marks like this.
maybe I would not dwell on them so much if those didn't differ from the rest of the table so much.. the first thing you notice when you look at this table is this white straigh line of marks .
guess I have to get used to them unless there is a way to make them less visible?
which type of impregnation to choose please for this type of wood?

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:54 am

yes they do look more like medullary rays as the dont have such a "blobby" look

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 1:09 pm

As BA says, almost definitely medullary rays I'd say. You can see the definite edge. You can also see that the end grain runs nearer to face to face than edge to edge.
OP, you won't stain them out. Particularly with wood that's already finished. It's part of the natural wood, better to learn to live with it.

Kraska · Post by **Kraska** » Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:01 pm

Thank you all for your advise, much appreciated:)