Wood

[Gizmotoy]

Has anyone crafty attempted to source Obeche wood veneer and match the stain color? I am looking at the matte initially. It looks like a quartersawn veneer, with some dye stain, and a simple open-pore finish look with satin poly. Googling obeche veneer shows that this is kind of a trash wood.... used in plywood cores and to pretend to be other woods. Send me a PM and we can talk geeky woodworking stuff.

You could try contacting the guys at TeslaAccessories (Welcome | Aftermarket Accessories for Tesla Model S). They have matched the wood finishes perfectly, from what I've seen. Maybe they'd be willing to share what they've found. Wouldn't hurt to ask.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I have lacewood that matches my interior. Just used a black analine dye on it and wiped it down then beeswaxed it. Pretty close
flash does make it look different but you can see the cup holder wood looks the same..+dusty

..and I am pretty sure the lacewood is all solid. My wife complained about the tooling marks (she's the Jeweler) on some of the dash trim, and would have done it better:wink:

 

[Elwood]

Has anyone crafty attempted to source Obeche wood veneer and match the stain color? I am looking at the matte initially. It looks like a quartersawn veneer, with some dye stain, and a simple open-pore finish look with satin poly. Googling obeche veneer shows that this is kind of a trash wood.... used in plywood cores and to pretend to be other woods. Send me a PM and we can talk geeky woodworking stuff.

Its used in sauna-benches because when you rub it, it doesn't splinter... Geek is fun !

Sat in the back this evening, being driven home. Looking at the veneer, with the new horizontal grain in mind, I must say: I love my dark, vertical grain, obeche gloss!!

 

[fluxemag]

It is routine for auto manufacturers to use veneer over laminate bonded to the substrate (e.g. aluminum). Even Bentley and Rolls Royce does this. Nice recent episode of How It's Made showing a Bentley GT:

iTunes - TV Shows - How It's Made: Dream Cars, Season 1

That was a cool show. I had always thought Bentley and Rolls used solid hardwood for the trim before I saw it. It's pretty rare for anyone to use solid hardwood on anything these days.

I make some furniture and other woodworking periodically. I was going to make some nightstands with solid walnut until I realized they would be around $600 worth of material. Project plywood with walnut veneer, for a quarter of the price and you would never know the difference. I've also done our kitchen cabinets, entertainment center and some other things with veneer and it's a really easy process when you get used to doing it. I thought about making a veneer kit for the Tesla, with some precision cut pieces, but the areas around the air vents taper in depth.

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Has anyone crafty attempted to source Obeche wood veneer and match the stain color? I am looking at the matte initially. It looks like a quartersawn veneer, with some dye stain, and a simple open-pore finish look with satin poly. Googling obeche veneer shows that this is kind of a trash wood.... used in plywood cores and to pretend to be other woods. Send me a PM and we can talk geeky woodworking stuff.

I tried to find Lacewood veneer (and did) to make my own yacht floor and parcel shelf, but it doesn't look anything like what's in the car. The pattern varies a lot even on one sheet, let alone sheet to sheet. Matching the stain would probably not be too difficult though. I decided if I couldn't match it perfectly, I might as well contrast it with something else. So I made a solid zebrawood yacht floor and plan on doing a zebrawood veneer parcel shelf. I think the gloss obeche would be the hardest to match.

 

[Shumdit]

I really like the lacewood myself, but it's more of a love it/hate it choice whereas the Obeche is much more universally liked from what I have seen. That being said, if you are in the love it camp for the lacewood, it should be what you go with.

 

[Twiddler]

When wiping down my (lacewood) trim one day a few weeks ago I ended up with a splinter

 

[Elwood]

When wiping down my (lacewood) trip one day a few weeks ago I ended up with a splinter

There are multiple reasons why we need Obeche...

(Gloss, dark, vertical grain) :smile:

 

[araxara]

Obeche Wood in the Model S is Actually a Composite Veneer

The Obeche wood in the Model S is actually a composite veneer. This is a man made veneer where Obeche wood is stacked and stained to give the appearance of a striped wood and then cut into a veneer. Obeche itself is a pretty nondescript wood with grain patters similar to Maple or Beech. See Composite veneer becoming more common for a description of how composite veneer is made. Also check out Composite Wood Veneers | Brookside Veneers for some composite veneers that are available to buy. Some come prefinished in a matte polyurethane coating.

 

[Shumdit]

When wiping down my (lacewood) trim one day a few weeks ago I ended up with a splinter

seriously??

 

[Twiddler]

I am dead serious - it was small, but definitely there. Dug it out without a problem. There are a few rougher spots on the wood, and it was across one of them that it occurred. Kinda chuckled about it afterward; it was a very Christine moment. I was more gentle with the cleaning from then on.

 

[austinEV]

The Obeche wood in the Model S is actually a composite veneer. This is a man made veneer where Obeche wood is stacked and stained to give the appearance of a striped wood and then cut into a veneer. Obeche itself is a pretty nondescript wood with grain patters similar to Maple or Beech. See Composite veneer becoming more common for a description of how composite veneer is made. Also check out Composite Wood Veneers | Brookside Veneers for some composite veneers that are available to buy. Some come prefinished in a matte polyurethane coating.

Thanks, that is helpful. It looks like it could be one of the "quartersawn" varieties. Care to guess which one?

 

[araxara]

Thanks, that is helpful. It looks like it could be one of the "quartersawn" varieties. Care to guess which one?

I guess the MACASSAR EBONY, QUARTERED (Color: Dark - Part No: AW .20) would be a good candidate for the "Obeche". But without actually getting any samples, it's really hard to tell:

 

[austinEV]

I never noticed that the dash is in fact solid pieces. I always assumed it was a veneer steam bent onto a plastic substrate, which is dumb now that I think of it. Also funny that I bought into the notion that "Obeche" was a lovely rare African hardwood I hadn't heard of rather than a manufactured product.

 

[ecarfan]

^^^ same here ;-)

It also goes well with tan and grey interiors. I'm sure it would look good in a black interior too.

I also have the lacewood and think it looks great with the gray and black interior in my silver S with black roof.

It appears that Tesla has the lacewood stained darker based on the photo of the wood shown on this page Lacewood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page Cardwellia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia states that lacewood is a tropical oak tree that is endemic to the forests in Queensland, Australia.

 

[Newscutter]

It appears that Tesla has the lacewood stained darker ...

We has a custom piece made years ago out of lacewood but it was stained a rich deep tan, sort of like this:

I REALLY hope that Tesla updates their interior trims to offer lacewood in a similar stain-- I think it would look spectacular with the tan interior. The current stain has too much grey tone to it for the tan leather, IMO.

http://lichtyguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Lacewood-Tenor-Ukulele-15.jpg

 

[austinEV]

yeah, I have worked with lacewood in the past for picture frames and a jewelry box. It's quite pretty with just oil or a clear coat. Crazy that they dyed it so grey.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

yeah, I have worked with lacewood in the past for picture frames and a jewelry box. It's quite pretty with just oil or a clear coat. Crazy that they dyed it so grey.

I think mine has a lot of brown to it but I have seen a few different colors in other cars too. I think the car I had the test ride in at the Fremont event was way different and more grey than mine. it also didn't seem to have the rough texture that mine has on the dash.