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American hard maple (Acer saccharum, A. nigrum)
Other names: Sugar maple, black maple
Click to enlarge
Distribution
Eastern USA, principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake States. A cold
weather tree favouring a more Northerly climate.
General description
The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge and
the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The amount
of darker brown heartwood can vary significantly according to growing
region. Both sapwood and heartwood can contain pith fleck. The wood
has a close fine texture and is generally straight grained, but
it can also occur as “curly”, “fiddleback”, and “birds-eye” figure.
Working properties
Hard maple dries slowly with a large shrinkage, so it can be susceptible
to movement in performance. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing
and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues satisfactorily,
and can be stained and polished to an outstanding finish.
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Machining |
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Nailing |
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Screwing |
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Gluing |
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Finishing |
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Physical properties
The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties, in particular
its high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also has good steam
bending properties.
Specific Gravity: 0.63 (12% M.C.)
Average Weight: 705 kg/m3 (12% M.C.)
Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 11.9% (Green to 6% M.C.)
Modulus of Elasticity: 12,618 MPa
Hardness: 6450 N
* Values for A. saccharum
Durability
Rated as slightly or non-resistant to heartwood decay. Sapwood
is liable to attack by furniture beetle. The heartwood is resistant
to preservative treatment but the sapwood is permeable.
Availability
USA: Widely available.
Export: Widely available as lumber and veneer. The higher quality
grades of lumber are available selected for white colour (sapwood)
although this can limit availability. Figured maple (birds-eye,
curly, fiddleback) is generally only available in commercial volumes
as veneer.
Main uses
Flooring, furniture, panelling, kitchen cabinets, worktops and
table tops, interior joinery: stairs, handrails, mouldings, and
doors.
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