First of all, soft maple and red maple are typically the same things. Family Name Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum, Acer macrophyllum and Acer negundo of the Family Aceraceae. For more related content, subscribe to our newsletter! Please submit links to how-to pages and videos, pictures of beautiful and amazing pieces you made for us to admire, or help you finish. I looked for box elder and can't find any reference but to a box elder bug. It also turns well and requires no filling before finishing. Probably our most useful domestic hardwood, maple produces syrup for pancakes, school desks to scribble on... and much more in between. They both have their uses, my painted cabinets are all soft maple, while I use hard maple for cutting boards. This is often referred to as "birds-eye maple.". Super Moderator. If the stain cannot find a pore to fill, it will be cleared away when the excess stain is wiped away. Generally speaking maples are a great all round woodworking lumber. Both types are widely available and can be bought as lumber, veneer, and turning blocks. The Tree: Acer Family Soft Maple is a group of three or four types of maple: red, silver, black etc.... somewhat dependent on what part of the country you live in." In addition, soft maple is slightly easier to work with, and won’t dull cutting edges as quickly, or burn as readily when being shaped as hard maple. Hard maple is the perfect choice for sturdy furniture such as benches, butcher boards, … and 2. what is this grey wood, and is is commonly found in Soft Maple? Red Oak . Post Cancel. This is often referred to as "birds-eye maple." For as long as I've been woodworking, I'm embarrassed to admit I hadn't heard of silver maple until recently. Soft maple can be sourced from many different types of maple trees. Taking the hardness data within context of other hardwoods, soft maple may be used as a valid substitute for hard maple in most situations where a hardwood of moderate density is called for. It's also strong enough not to crack or deform. Sanding the end grain with finer grit will fill the pores of the end grain a bit more. Making sure that your maple is well-seasoned and properly acclimatized to your environment will make a big difference in how your maple woodworking projects turn out and how they hold up over time. Compared to red maple, silver maple is a bit lower in density and therefore machines a bit more easily with a slight increase in tendency to fuzz. Red Oak . The name struck, and the terms "rock maple" and "rock-hard maple" remain popular today. Soft maple is also often referred to as "tiger maple" for the tiger-like stripes in the wood, or curly maple if the stripes are a bit more of the curly nature. Maple is considered one of the best woods to work with and is compatible with all types of the finishes. Its color ranges from pale brown to almost white with brown streaks. Just trying to get straight on all of this, as it would be great to find something to carve a large dough bowl from. Welcome to another WoodShaped video. Soft maple, on the other hand, is relatively easy to work with. Soft maple is also often referred to as "tiger maple" for the tiger-like stripes in the wood, or curly maple if the stripes are a bit more of the curly nature. Generally straight-grained with a consistent texture, maple also can have a bird's-eye or curly (also called fiddle back) pattern. Hard maple takes a high polish and has substantial screw-holding power. The Spruce Crafts uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. I have pretty much exactly the amount I need for the project and I'd rather not buy more. This won't completely solve the problem, though. 745 posts in 2871 days #1 posted 12-18-2020 04:19 AM . Maple is a relatively inexpensive hardwood, although bird's-eye, curly, and burl varieties can be expensive. Common Names Red maple, silver maple, Pacific maple, Oregon maple, bigleaf maple Grizzly H9687 Solid Maple Workbench Top. ft.) Hardness 950 Janka Rating -26.36% softer than red oak (1290 psi) Density 0.54 Specific Gravity -15.62% less dense than red oak (.64) General Workability. Soft maple, used principally for lumber, paper pulp, and other industrial applications, continues to be suitable for cabinet frames, unseen parts of upholstered furniture, and jigs and forms used in woodworking shops. Soft maple works even more easily than hard maple. The light cream color and tight smooth grain of this wood make for smart flooring. Soft maple is also often referred to as "tiger maple" for the tiger-like stripes in the wood, or curly maple, if the stripes are a bit more of the curly nature. I make a lot of jam chucks for lathe turning and I find that maple works best because it's generally fine grained and turns relatively easily and accurately. Start with 120 grit before moving up to 180, and finally 220. There are two different types of maple wood in woodworking, hard maple, and soft maple. It's simple. Several woodworkers will go as far as to buy thick maple supply and resaw it on a band saw, lining up the cut … Soft maple, although similar in appearance to hard maple, produces lighter wood with more pronounced grain. Maple does have its drawbacks. Silver maple is soft compared to sugar (hard) maple, but that isn’t saying much. Soft maple, although similar in appearance to hard maple, produces lighter wood with more pronounced grain. Hard maple varieties often will have more small knots that appear along the grain. Soft Maple is Highly Sustainable. Wood Texture. Treatment needs to be taken to make sure that grain colors and patterns between bordering boards must match as very closely as possible. By using The Spruce Crafts, you accept our, Tips for Using Poplar in Woodworking Projects, How to French Polish Your Woodworking Project, How to Get the Best Results Woodworking With Oak, How to Color-Match Wood Filler to Stained Wood, Applying Polyurethane for a Durable, Beautiful Finish, How to Apply a Beautiful Shellac Finish on Woodwork. Thanks! It can be temperamental, particularly when finishing, and is susceptible to shrinkage. Fine 3/10 . Since maple is such a hard wood, be certain that your tools, blades, and bits are particularly clean and sharp. So, what you have is regular soft maple. The soft maples are often used as a cheaper substitute for hard maple mouldings, or in applications where the trim is painted. For a more durable finish, top-coat over the shellac with a clear lacquer or polyurethane. Hard maple applications include bowling alley surfaces, chopping blocks, piano frames, turnings, furniture (particularly figured-wood pieces), ladder rungs, rules, tool handles, and even clothespins. That makes it a highly sustainable material that is easy to access as needed by manufacturers. Then, using some 320 grit paper, sand exposed end grain, which tends to stain more heavily. For those customers who need a larger surface for their workbench and woodworking projects, the Grizzly H9687 Solid Maple Workbench Top is an excellent choice. TravisH. Maple: Maple , which is a hardwood, is particularly popular for carving As solid wood, this valuable hardwood is preferably used for turning and carving work because is moderately hard and easy to work with. You won’t find maple at your local home center, but most lumberyards have a … Samples are milled on all sides to the standard size of 1/2'' X 3'' X 6'', as determined by The International Wood Collectors Society, and include the shipping cost within the 48 U.S. Each one is labeled with the botanical and common names. Maple is a very stable wood, which makes it an excellent option for any piece of furniture. Maple is generally considered to be strong, durable, and pretty when properly finished. Both categories of maple are extremely useful, but hard maple may require some extra effort as … The largest quantities of hard maple are found around the Great Lakes, and Michigan and New York produce the most trees in this country. © 2020 Meredith Corporation. Along with cherry, walnut, and oak, maple is considered to be among the favorite hardwood choices for furniture building. Follow the oil with a coat or two of shellac. Compared to sugar (hard) maple, cherry and walnut are softwoods too. Soft Maple grows in North America Weight 2.63 lbs /Bd. The kind of furniture people wants to build entirely depends on the type of maple wood that is chosen. Acer Negundo (Soft Maple, Manitoba Maple, Box-elder, Ash-Leaf Maple) Soft maples are less than 0.54 density (Red, SIlver) Density -- .46 for Manitoba Maple (Ash Maple) Compared to Acer saccharum -- density .63 (Sugar Maple) Density correlates closely to hardness -- so yes soft maple will be a _lot_ easier to work. Hard maple varieties often will have more small knots that appear along the grain. Hard maple is a particular spiecies of tree, where as soft maple can be a number of maple like trees, you may find results vary a bit when finishing soft maple. Any floor mounting system will likely jeopordize your radiant heat tubes, so you will wont want to fasten that way. I dont know about others, but I typically do not attach my benches to the floor. Comment. Soft maple dowels bow more (almost 1/2 inch versus less than 1/4 inch on hard maple of the same 26" lengths) and sometimes break. 1 reply so far. Hard maple remains strong when bent, absorbs shock well, works nicely with both power and hand tools, and resists wear. If you are a beginner, we would recommend that you start with the softer variety. Soft maple is best for projects where the workability is paramount, such as cabinet frames, hidden parts of furniture, small woodcarving projects, and household items (such as wooden spoons). The term soft maple is a bit of a comparative misnomer, as soft maple is harder than many other hardwoods (such as cherry). As with other hardwoods such as cherry, maple can be a bit temperamental to finish, particularly when staining. Many woodworkers find the unique grain patterns of maple burl particularly appealing. Not to crack or deform 04:19 AM Acer negundo of the maple. to warping! 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