HARD MAPLE WOOD
There are many variations of Hard Maple including: plain, curly & birdseye.
- Also known as “Sugar Maple”
- Celebrated for producing maple syrup & beautiful fall foliage
- Dense / fine textured wood
Birdseye Maple is Sugar Maple with a unique figure pattern giving it the appearance of eyes. A board must be flat sawn to show this figure. Veneers are rotary sliced. Birdseye Maple is a very rare mutation of a common hardwood tree. The top figure usually comes from the northern most range of the species. Old sawyers tell me they find these trees on the north side of dense woodlots, areas that get very little sunlight. If the woodlot is thinned the birdseye development diminishes. This is one of the most exotic North American species.
- Birdseye Maple is found on the dash boards of some of the world’s finest cars
- Excellent for fine furniture
- Often used for cue sticks
- Makes a beautiful floor
Characteristics of Hard Maple
| Origin of Wood Type | Eastern North America |
| Botanical Name | Acer saccharum |
| Specific Gravity | 0.72 |
| Avg. Weight Per BF | 4.25 lb/bf |
| Color Range | Cream – White (Sap) & Gray – Light Brown (Heart) |
| Rarity / Availability | Plain Hard Maple is readily available, Curly Hard Maple is available in 4/4 lumber only and Birdseye Maple is becoming very rare! |
| Typical Avg. Width | 3″ to 8″, rarely found 9″ to 18″ wide and almost impossible to find pure white over 8″ wide |
| Typical Avg. Length | 4′ to 10′, rarely found up to 12′ |
| Avg. Waste Factor | 30% to 50% |
| Wood Uses | Fine Furniture, Cabinetry, Architectural Millwork, Guitar Building / Instrument Making, Wood Turning, Gun Stocks, Automotive / Aircraft Interior, Inlaying, Box Making, Flooring, Veneer and many other uses |
| Lumber Grades | Common 1 & 2, Select and Better, FAS, Quartersawn, Quartersawn (Figured), Flitch, Figured (Heavy), Figured (Medium), Veneer, Premium |
| Other Trade Names | Rock Maple, White Maple, Sugar Maple, Birdseye Maple, Curly Maple |