Angel Step Figure

This year I kept seeing a pattern in various woods I was using - especially in Walnut and Big Leaf Maple. 

Pictured - Walnut

What are those mysterious wood markings?

Pictured - Spalted Big Leaf Maple 

Turns out the name of the pattern is Angel Step. 

According to Rick Hearne on an article on woodmagazine.com : 

“Angel Stairs or Angel Step is a figure pattern found in lumber cut from trees that have twisted trunks, and is common in maples and walnuts. The figure on the board is characterized by short, delicate curls progressing up the board on a tangent, starting and ending out of nowhere, a spiritual spiral staircase.”

Check out his article here: https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/wood-figure/figuring-out-figure--angel-step