Strength The wood is also one of the strongest, comparable to the oaks. With today’s equipment, machining is not an issue. Because of its hardness, the wood was not preferred by most early cabinet makers using hand tools. Anatomical and Microscopy Image courtesy of Image courtesy of ĭiffuse-porous Arrangement: medium pores that are uniformly spaced, moderately numerous to numerous Vessels: solitary and radial multiples of 2-3 heartwood deposits sometimes present Rays: both narrow and wide rays, spacing normal Parenchyma: margina Wood Properties Workability Hard maple is rated about intermediate for planning and turning, and as one of the best woods for shaping and boring. The more stripes per foot of length the higher the value. The wood shows a narrow stripe across the width of the piece which appear like the stripes on a tiger. The heartwood is usually stained a dark color or painted. Special low temperature kiln schedules have been developed for “white maple.”The heartwood is a light to sometimes darker brown with some red color. Furthermore, the wood will darken or sometimes become pinkish during kiln drying. The sapwood is subject to oxidation stain or graying during warm summer months. ![]() Processing techniques can also affect the “whiteness.” Northern regions are often thought to produce the whitest wood while southern locations tend to produce more yellowish or cream colored wood. Maple is a wide-ranging species, and as a result, the intensity of “whiteness” of the sapwood can vary. The wood will show small but numerous ray flecks on a perfectly quartered surface. The largest sugar maple reported is about 7¼ feet in diameter at 4½ feet above the ground. The species can develop into a large forest tree, and it is long-lived. The pith is in the center of the dark streak. Board 7 is cut from the center of the log or quarter sawn. Boards 5 and 6 show numerous defects and the dark reddish brown heartwood. Board 4 shows excess dark mineral streaks. Heavy figure is very desirable but just slight figure can be a problem in some stock items as it distracts from maples typical uniform pattern. Maple can be curly or fiddleback, have a bird’s-eye pattern or occasionally be quilted. ![]() Board 2 shows several light brown pith flecks near the top of the board. However, due to color issues, white maple is probably one of the most difficult types of lumber that can be produced.īoards 1 and 2 are characteristics of flat sawn, white stock. The tree species is also appreciated for the rich and delicious syrup and candy that is made from the sap in the early spring. Its hardness and ability to take a high polish and smooth finish and the white color of the sapwood has resulted in many specialty uses. Hard or sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh) is one of our hardest, smoothest, most beautiful and valuable wood species.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |