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.
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