In this month's installment of Field Notes Scott Bowe of Kemp Station discusses bird’s-eye wood, some of the most beautiful material a woodworker can use. When I say “figure in wood” you may not be familiar with the phrase. But if I say bird’s-eye maple, an image of beautiful swirls pops into your mind. There are many other types of wood figure such as curly, tiger stripe, fiddleback, and quilted, but I would like to focus on bird’s-eye today. First, we should cover some basic wood anatomy.