SCIENTIFIC NAME
Acer saccharum. Derivation: The genus name is the classical Latin
name for maple. The specific epithet is Latin for sugar, referring to
the sweetish sap from which maple sugar is made.
FAMILY
Aceraceae, the maple family.
OTHER NAMES
hard maple, rock maple, sweet maple, black maple.
DISTRIBUTION
Sugar maple grows in every state east of the Great Plains, except Florida,
South Carolina and Delaware but is most important in the New England states
and the Great Lakes states, including the Canadian Great Lakes provinces.
THE TREE
A beautiful symmetrical tree, the sugar maple grows from 70 to 125 feet
in height with a trunk 24 to 36 inches in diameter. Its leaves turn gorgeous
shades of red and yellow in the autumn. Its name is derived from the delicious
maple syrup and sugar obtained by boiling down the sap in the spring.
Sugar maple is the state tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia and
Wisconsin. Generic maple is the official national tree of Canada.
THE TIMBER
The heartwood is a delicate, very light reddish-brown or very light tan,
while the wide sapwood is nearly white. Sugar maple has a fine uniform
texture and is very strong and hard with close straight grain. A small
percentage of the trees produce special figures such as bird's eye,
blistered,
curly or fiddleback. Average reported specific gravity is 0.56 (ovendry
weight/green volume), equivalent to an air-dried weight of 43 pc£.
Because of the strength and stiffness of this maple species, it ranks
as one of the more valuable hardwoods.
 Curly maple |
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 Spalted maple |
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| Ambrosia is a term applied to maple as a consequence of the effect of the ambrosia beetle. The beetle bores small holes into the tree and introduces a fungus which then grows in the channels bored out by the beetle. The fungus spreads throughout the tree and causes a streaky discoloration in the wood. When a piece of ambrosia maple is turned on a wood lathe, it can yield a piece of exceptional beauty. | |
SEASONING
This timber can develop stain during the drying period unless fairly rapid
drying is employed. Otherwise, it handles well by both kiln and air drying
techniques and seasons with only slight degrade. Average reported shrinkage
values (green to ovendry) are 4.8% radial, 9.9% tangential and 14.7% volumetric.
DURABILITY
Sugar maple is not resistant to either fungal or insect attack but is
more durable than some of the other maple species. The fire resistant
standards are higher than those of the average timber.
WORKABILITY
Sugar maple is well suited to all types of turnery, works well with tools
and finishes very smoothly. Glue adheres well and nail and screw holding
properties are good. Pre-boring is necessary on thin stock to prevent
splitting. It takes stain readily and gives excellent results with paint
or enamel.
USES
The finest dance floors, bowling alleys and bowling pins are made of sugar
maple. It is also important in piano manufacture for making the part into
which the pins for the strings are driven. A great deal of maple is used
for furniture, paneling and cabinetry. A special use is for shoetrees
and lasts. Wood with figured grain is highly prized for decorative cabinetry
and in certain types of stringed musical instruments. It is a good timber
for bending.
SUPPLIES
Sugar maple with plain straight grain is readily available from many lumber
dealers at a medium price range. Wood with figured grains is much more
costly and may be classified as rare in availability.
Information from A
Guide to Useful Woods of the World, Second Edition, James H.
Flynn, Jr. and Charles D. Holder, Editors. Forest Products Society, Madison,
Wisconsin, 2001.
Photographs from MDArtworks