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.

ORIGIN:
North America.

GRADE:
Clear, Select, CW1, CW2.

HARDNESS (JANKA):
1450.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:
Average.

NAILING:
No known problems.

SANDING:
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. The species also burnishes, dulling fine paper and screens and making it difficult to cut out previous scratches. Suggested Sequence First Cut: 50 at a 7 to 15 degree angle to the grain Second Cut: 80 straight with the grain Third Cut: 120 Hard Plate: 100 or 120 First Screen: 100 Second Screen: 100

FINISHING:
Takes neutral finish well. May be difficult to stain.