MATERIAL ATLAS

SnakewoodPatterned wood as a body or a face plate

Snakewood can surround a mechanism as its wooden body, or become a small face on a metal slider.

Shangshangqian uses snakewood for its body; Tiaoweiqian lists it as a wooden-plate option. Jidaole pairs an elongated wooden body with steel described as fugu steel.

Alongside the grain, look at where the baitong plate, POM slider block and mechanical tracks sit.

GD EDC and NAYICI’s Jidaole: the source specifies snakewood paired with fugu steel, the maker’s material wording.

CHAPTER 01

An elongated wooden body and a separate track

Disassembled Jidaole track components on a pale grey background, with two rows of closely spaced recesses in the long parts — Track components shown in the same announcement. The maker describes a denser version of its guzheng track.

In its 2026 Guangzhou exhibition announcement, GD EDC describes Jidaole, a collaboration with NAYICI, as snakewood paired with fugu steel. The front photograph shows an elongated wooden body around two black-and-white patterned faces, with a visible boundary between wood and metal at the side.

The same article shows the track components separately and describes a denser version of its guzheng track. Fugu steel retains the maker’s wording without assigning a more specific steel grade. The track is a component in its own right, separate from the grain.

CHAPTER 02

Shangshangqian: wood body, baitong plate, POM block

The 2024 snakewood Shangshangqian update specifies a snakewood body, a baitong (white copper alloy) plate carrying the character cai, and a POM slider block. The wood, metal plate and sliding component occupy different positions.

GD describes the selected patterns as cross-cut, longitudinal, green-toned and dark. These are its descriptions of this batch’s wood, useful for looking at the direction and spacing of dark markings. This guide retains the case in text, without a photograph of that specific version.

CHAPTER 03

Tiaoweiqian: wood becomes a plate option

Six long wooden Tiaoweiqian plates arranged diagonally on a wooden stand, with varied grain and GDEDC engravings — The Tiaoweiqian wooden-plate group. This release lists snakewood and desert ironwood together, without identifying each plate’s wood.

For the regular stainless-steel Tiaoweiqian released in December 2025, the maker lists desert ironwood or snakewood plates allocated at random. The wood forms a long, narrow face; the surrounding stainless-steel structure is a separate material.

The group photograph allows comparison of tone, grain direction and engraving placement. Individual wood types are not labelled, so both woods remain within the stated configuration. The mechanical and magnetic modes come from the toy’s construction, not from its grain.

CHAPTER 04

Read the pattern alongside the making and care notes

The snakewood Shangshangqian article records 350 sets cut and 268 completed in that production run, with photographs of cracking and indistinct grain during processing. This is the maker’s account of one batch, not a universal yield for snakewood products.

Its care notice warns that drops or incorrect use can cause cracking. The Jidaole preview also says wooden sliders need care and advises against purchase by players in hot, dry regions. Alongside the pattern, consider the use and storage guidance for the particular finished product.

CHAPTER 05

A botanical name reference, separate from the finished wood

GD’s snakewood information image uses the name Piratinera guianensis. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew lists that name as a synonym of Brosimum guianense, providing a botanical reference between the names.

The products here are described from the makers’ specific snakewood material records. Their finished wooden parts have not been independently identified by species. Grain is worth examining, but a photograph alone is not a botanical identification.