
Appearance
COLOR: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale
to creamy white.
GRAIN: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture.
Occasionally shows quilted, fiddleback, curly or bird's-eye figuring. Figured boards often
culled during grading and sold at a premium.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Black maple (B. nigrum) is
also hard; other species are classified as soft. Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): 1450; 12% harder than
Northern red oak.
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00353; 4% more
stable than red oak).
DURABILITY: Dense, strong, tough, stiff; excellent shock
resistance -- often used in bowling alleys and athletic facilities. Markedly resistant to
abrasive wear. |
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Workability
SAWING/MACHINING: Density makes machining difficult.
SANDING: Sands satisfactorily.
NAILING: Fair resistance to splitting; good holding ability.
FINISHING: Takes neutral finish well; does not stain uniformly.
COMMENTS: Light
color lends itself to contemporary light floors. Extra care must be taken during sanding
and finishing, as sanding marks and finish lines are more obvious due to maple's density
and light color.
Cost
(relative to plainsawn select red oak)
MULTIPLIER: 1.30
Availability
Commodity item; figured grains limited. |