Replies

1. 
   ring | May 11, 2007 12:58pm | #1

   I'd use only maple as the complimentary wood. Using another dark wood like walnut would detract instead of add, and make the overall effect look like a circus. Show a little restraint and let the zebrawood show off.

   Just my opinion...

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

1. 
   SgianDubh | May 12, 2007 08:42pm | #7

   Ring, I rather disagree with you. In my opinion both darker woods and light or pale woods can work with zebrano.

   In evidence I'm putting forward two items that use zebrano. One is a built in unit with zebrano fronts and maple background, eg, maple shelving.

   Secondly, two small cabinets in walnut and zebrano. If you find the horizontal grain orientation of the zebrano drawer fronts unappealing I agree with you. I wanted to run the grain vertically using zebrano veneer. The customer however insisted on what you see. I was happy enough to dump the $8,500 in the bank, ha, ha. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture

   
1. 
   ring | May 12, 2007 11:37pm | #8

   Hey Richard,

   I like your walnut cabinets with the zebrano, and I even agree with the horizontal grain.  Nice, very nice.  (And also the price...)

   The point I was trying to make to the OP was not to do BOTH light and dark complimentary woods in the same piece. 

   good photos, BTW.

    David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

1. 
   SgianDubh | May 13, 2007 02:22am | #9

   Ah, I see now what you meant in your original post, David. That is, use one or the other,  light or dark, not both. I rather misread your post. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture

2. 
   joinerswork | May 14, 2007 09:01pm | #12

   Richard,

   Pretty work.

   If you mixed tiger maple and zebrawood in the same piece, would it end up as bloodwood on the finishing room floor?

   Ray

1. 
   SgianDubh | May 14, 2007 09:45pm | #13

   Ha, ha. I haven't tried it to find out Ray. Maybe I should-- except over here we'd probably call the maple fiddleback, so no blood would be involved. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture

2. 
   rosevillewood | May 11, 2007 01:36pm | #2

   I agree with Ring. A lighter wood to complement the 'sapwood' lets the zebra stripes do the talking.  

3. 
   blewcrowe | May 11, 2007 03:36pm | #3

   I think what Mr. Ring has said is valid. What I'm thinking is that if that other dark color should age into anything just slightly different than the dark in your zebra, then you'll have an awkward looking piece. As to the comp wood, I'd look at several: maple, yellowood, pecan, etc.

4. 
   BruceS | May 11, 2007 04:06pm | #4

   A little more exotic than Maple, could be Holly. Holly is a very light creamy white wood and has almost imperceptible grain. But Maple is a great choice.  A perimeter banding or inlay with Ebony(1/8-3/16) and then cap the edge with another piece of Zebrawood(3/4-1").  Accenting but not distracting.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

5. 
   Kevin | May 11, 2007 07:47pm | #5

   A friend of mine made some small ring boxes using Zebrawood, Maple and Macassar Ebony. The Maple compliments the lighter parts of the Zebrawood, as you obviously had already thought, and the Macassar Ebony has enough dark brown in it to beautifully compliment the darker parts of the Zebrawood. I think it's an amazingly complimentary use of these three woods.

   I do think the others make a good point about just using two woods. Although I personally really like these ring boxes.

   Both Maple and Macassar Ebony work exceptionally well with Zebrawood and you could really go with either one in a two-wood design and it would look fabulous, IMO. If I had to suggest a particular Maple I would go with Western/Brown/Big Leaf Maple because it tends to be a bit browner and to my eye that's closer to the lighter colors in Zebrawood than the whiter Maples would be.

   
   

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   Edited 5/11/2007 12:52 pm by Kevin

6. 
   4DThinker | May 12, 2007 04:33pm | #6

   Quarter sawn red oak.

   Yes, it is surprising.  I went through my pile of scraps looking for the best color match with zebrawood and low and behold the best look was red oak.  I didn't have any white oak so it might look fine if you want a less red color.  I've done coffee table tops with a wide (8") zebra stripe down the middle and narrow (3" or so) quarter sawn red oak long sides.  I brought zebra legs up through the oak to suspend a glass top 3"ish above the wood.

   
   

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   Edited 5/12/2007 9:33 am ET by 4DThinker

7. 
   trackersoft | May 13, 2007 10:06pm | #10

   I have used Zebra and Wenge. They seem to go together well. I made about 30 trays like this for Christmas presents. I actually made two with mathcing turned zebra and wenge napkin rings for a charity auction and they brought about 100/ea.

   
8. 
   sapwood | May 14, 2007 05:15am | #11

   Use something dark for contrast. More important, resaw your zebrawood into veneer. Slab off 3/32 inch from each board, lay it up over a stable substrate and veneer the bottom with something else for stabilization. Then you'll still have some 7/4 boards to do something else with and the trees will not have died so needlessly. There couldn't be an endless supply of this wood in the world. Use some restraint.