Other woods with unusual movement like seen in rainbow Poplar?

[bradleyheathhays]

For those who follow my wacky ideas on here I'm developing an idea where I use small cut squares of wood, say 3/4" x 3/4" and arrange them to form a larger picture, like photo mosaic software does. Think of the little squares I'm referring to as little 'pixels' that will create the larger picture when they're all put together. The finished pieces/images will be fairly large, say 6' tall x 10' long.

So toward achieving this goal I've been exploring different wood species to see what kind of color/texture movements are commonly seen in them. For my idea to work I'm gonna need color movement in wood more than just common grain direction like you'd see in the oak species. I'm gonna need a wood species that produces a wide variety of movement and colors for the best results. At first I wasn't too sure this process was achievable because all the wood species I was aware of didn't have enough varied movement. I found a lumber mill a couple hours away that had some ambrosia Maple so I went to pick some up for experimenting. When I saw the cedar there I picked some out as well. But then I saw a chunk of highly colored rainbow Poplar he had sat aside and knew that was the right wood to work with. It has so much more color and movement than any other species I've seen so far. Pics of the cedar, ambrosia Maple and rainbow Poplar follow...

You can see how the rainbow Poplar has so much more variation compared to the ambrosia Maple and Cedar that it's really the superior choice for what I'm trying to do. Imagine this rainbow Poplar piece cut into tiny 3/4" x 3/4" squares and how varied each square or 'pixel' would be compared to the same pieces made out of the Cedar or Maple.

So now my question is...are there any other species out there that produce variations in color and movement like this rainbow Poplar? I'd also be interested in seeing examples of species that have random movement even if not to the same degree as this Poplar.
Thanks!

 

[Mortalis]

What do you mean by "movement"?
Are you describing how the colors vary along the length and width of the lumber or are you describing how the wood will deform as it dries?

 

[bradleyheathhays]

Yes, I'm sorry. I should have been more clear on that. By movement I mean to describe how the different colors/textures flow throughout the piece, and not how the wood will behave dimensionally. Thanks for helping to clear that up.

 

[derekdd]

I think what you are describing is typically called chatoyance.

I find you can get that sort of movement, trick of the light, with a number of woods particularly when using a crotch piece. I've seen it with walnut, and have a chunk of crotch mulberry that has created pens like that. Here's the original piece. I've made a couple of pens from it where the figure really dances in the light.

 

[bradleyheathhays]

Yes, chatoyance would fit my needs but from what I've seen that kind of figuring can be fairly expensive. Almost any color or grain movement would fit my needs...just so it's not regularly grained wood like oak with it's predictable light and dark color bands.

 

[egnald]

Teak with Sapwood comes to mind and Cocobolo with Sapwood, essentially any dark hardwood with the sapwood.
For non-straight grain structures, look for crotch wood cuts or burls from most species.
Dave

 

[donstephan]

HJow do you plan to cope with seasonal movement after the squares are assembled? When I used to work with veneer I saw more than once a suggestion that veneer thicker than about 1/8" acts like solid wood with seasonal movement.