- Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:49 am
#37978
I would say the carve is also relevant. When you see chunks of wood removed you know the carver is using only a few tools or there blunt. When the drum is left grainy and with pot marks and not oiled well it get get dryer and brittler. It doesn't mean the wood has that characteristic.
From my own experience i though balafon wood was the most 'brittle', or likely to crack but it is much of a muchness with these hard woods as they are similar hardness any ways and variations exist in hardness and density. I though balafon wood was harder. It is definitely regarded as harder to carve than Dimba.
Also The wood can be damaged before it is used on a drum or have weak spots rotted dry brittle or damaged by insects. It could be sitting in the sun for a year before being made into a drum. The original choice of wood is important in making a good drum and makes a difference into how the wood ages.
I get that. I think it is dependent on the grain in the wood as well. Plus the quality of the wood and the thickness. You can take wood from one section of a tree and it will be different than another. Big difference between sap wood and heart wood too.But the harder a wood is, generally the more brittle it is because it's less flexible.
I would say the carve is also relevant. When you see chunks of wood removed you know the carver is using only a few tools or there blunt. When the drum is left grainy and with pot marks and not oiled well it get get dryer and brittler. It doesn't mean the wood has that characteristic.
From my own experience i though balafon wood was the most 'brittle', or likely to crack but it is much of a muchness with these hard woods as they are similar hardness any ways and variations exist in hardness and density. I though balafon wood was harder. It is definitely regarded as harder to carve than Dimba.
Also The wood can be damaged before it is used on a drum or have weak spots rotted dry brittle or damaged by insects. It could be sitting in the sun for a year before being made into a drum. The original choice of wood is important in making a good drum and makes a difference into how the wood ages.
Into The art of djembe