by Rumn C.
Why Wood
Each type of wood has its unique visual effects, including color and grain. Some woods are even crafted using joining techniques, creating even richer visual effects.
Subsequently, other materials like plastic and metal also began to be used. However, wood, due to its irreplaceable characteristics—natural touch, moderate weight, and durability—can resist wear and impact, making it the best choice for making Kendamas.
Weight, Hardness, Durability, Sound
Weight 🔗 Hardness
The weight of wood is usually related to its density. High-density woods are generally heavier and harder, such as Oak and Maple, while low-density woods are usually lighter and softer, such as Pine and Poplar.
Hardness 🔗 Durability
The advantage of hardwood lies in its high impact resistance, able to withstand greater external forces without deformation, making it more durable. On the other hand, the characteristic of softwood is its ease of shaping, thus enhancing the success rate of gameplay.
Sound
Hardwood typically produces a clearer and more resonant sound, while softwood's sound is not as bright or loud.
How Wood Affects
The type of wood used for kendamas is akin to its past and future. Its unique biological characteristics determine the kendama's weight, hardness, durability, and even sound, all of which impact the player's experience.
Wood, Kendama
Playing kendama requires skills such as tossing, catching, and balancing. Weight plays a crucial role in balance. Understand the characteristics of the wood, choose the right kendama, and start your game!
Wood Name
When discussing the names of wood, we often refer to their Scientific names using biological taxonomy (生物分類法).
Due to the different naming conventions, translations, and cultural habits that arise from various cultures, the same type of wood may have multiple names. We can refer to its Common names, such as Ash, White Ash, and Fraxinus (梣木, 白蠟木, 白栓), all of which actually refer to the same type of wood.
When someone mentions Fagaceae (山毛櫸科), they are actually referring to the family in biological taxonomy. The genus is a subdivision of the family. The Fagaceae family includes the genera Beech (水青岡屬) and Oak (櫟屬).
Kendama Wood Species, Hardness
Arrange the different types of wood according to the Janka hardness test results. Even wood of the same genus may have varying hardness, so these hardness numbers are for reference only.
Sorted by hardness
Common Name (Family, Genus):
- Padauk (Fabaceae, Pterocarpus)
- Purpleheart (Fabaceae, Peltogyne)
- Hickory (Juglandaceae, Carya)
- Rosewood (Fabaceae, Dalbergia)
- Wenge (Fabaceae, Millettia)
- Zebra wood (Zebrano) (Fabaceae, Microberlinia)
- Sapele (Meliaceae, Entandrophragma)
- Maple (Sapindaceae, Acer)
- Ash (Oleaceae, Fraxinus)
- Beech (Fagaceae, Fagus)
- Oak (Fagaceae, Quercus)
- Birch (Betulaceae, Betula)
- Keyaki (Ulmaceae, Zelkova)
- Walnut (Juglandaceae, Juglans)
- Cherry (Rosaceae, Prunus)
- Cherry Blossom (Sakura) (Rosaceae, Prunus)
- Elm (Ulmaceae, Ulmus)
- Mahogany (Meliaceae, Swietenia)
- Rubberwood (Sapindaceae, Hevea)
* Bamboo is not classified as a wood species; it is categorized as a type of grass.
通用名稱 (科, 屬):
- 紅木 - 紫檀木 (豆科, 紫檀屬)
- 紫心木 (紫心木科, 紫心木屬)
- 山核桃木 (胡桃科, 山核桃屬)
- 紅木 - 花梨木, 黃檀木 (豆科, 黃檀屬)
- 紅木 - 雞翅木 (豆科, 雞翅木屬)
- 斑馬木 (蘇木科, 蘇木屬)
- 桃花心木 - 紅影木 (楝科, 紅影木屬)
- 楓木 (槭樹科, 槭屬)
- 白蠟木 (木犀科, 梣屬)
- 山毛櫸 (山毛櫸科, 山毛櫸屬)
- 橡木 (山毛櫸科, 櫟屬)
- 樺木 (樺木科, 樺屬)
- 櫸木 (榆科, 櫸屬)
- 胡桃木 (胡桃科, 胡桃屬)
- 櫻桃木 (薔薇科, 櫻屬)
- 櫻花木 (薔薇科, 櫻屬)
- 榆木 (榆科, 榆屬)
- 桃花心木 (楝科, 桃花心木屬)
- 橡膠木 (無患子科, 橡膠屬)
* 竹子並不被歸類為木材，它被分類為一種草。
Kendama Wood Weight
If you need to know the specific weight of the wood, please use a scale for accurate measurement.
Wood Color
The color of wood varies significantly between different tree species and is influenced by environmental factors such as humidity, oxidation, and artificial treatments. Additionally, the heartwood typically has a darker color compared to the sapwood.
(When trying to distinguish wood types, it is crucial to first consider whether the wood has undergone artificial treatments.)
Wood Grain
Wood anatomy studies the internal structure of wood, allowing us to understand that even with the same log, different sawing methods can result in distinct grain patterns.
The following content is based on personal views and includes some data compilation and exploration to help woodworking enthusiasts better understand wood. As I am not a professional, any inaccuracies are welcome to be corrected. If you need to reproduce or republish this content and it does not involve commercial use, please indicate the source and cite this article. If used for academic research purposes, please maintain a spirit of truth-seeking and independently verify the above content; no responsibility is assumed.