Wood Types - Origami Mobile

I offer three types of wood in my origami mobiles. These woods are poplar, oak, and bamboo.

Poplar

In the above image, the mobile is made with poplar. Poplars are trees related to cottonwoods and aspens. They have oval-shaped leaves that get smaller towards the tip. Poplar is frequently used to make paper, matches, and lightweight furniture. It has a light color and is quite flexible. The vast majority of my mobiles are made with popular because it is so well suited for this purpose and its light color matches the airy nature of a mobile.

Oak

Oak is of course the tree that makes acorns! The oak leaf has wiggly edges with "fingers" that poke out from the central leaf area. Oak is very hard and is often used in high end furniture and flooring. Oaks are mentioned in the Bible, were sacred to the druids, and many countries (including the US and England) have the oak as their national tree because of its strength and longevity.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a fast growing tree in Japan, China, and other Asian countries. It grows in segments, and you can see those segmented rings in the photo. I only rarely make origami mobiles out of bamboo - it is rather hard to find thin enough pieces to use for a mobile that are in high quality shape.

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