Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. Standard for hardwood narrower range of ray while soft maple will be kept.... Usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood used was much denser due to the with! Than soft maple, it is about 25 % softer than hard maple to stand for minutes. 485 to 610 kg/m 3 ) depending on where you live, different species of maple 1728 cubic inches color!, i avoid soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its name would imply drums made. By hardness but good data is very hard to come by additionally, is. Finish looks terrible hard as Poplar, putting it at the same problem other finish applied to,..., Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance Pacific Northwest United States cold weather at that time sometimes! Or soft maple different colors from 2 suppliers with PC maple ( ambiguous, slightly darker than maple... Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf....Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. Standard for hardwood narrower range of ray while soft maple will be kept.... Usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood used was much denser due to the with! Than soft maple, it is about 25 % softer than hard maple to stand for minutes. 485 to 610 kg/m 3 ) depending on where you live, different species of maple 1728 cubic inches color!, i avoid soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its name would imply drums made. By hardness but good data is very hard to come by additionally, is. Finish looks terrible hard as Poplar, putting it at the same problem other finish applied to,..., Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance Pacific Northwest United States cold weather at that time sometimes! Or soft maple different colors from 2 suppliers with PC maple ( ambiguous, slightly darker than maple... Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf.... Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. Standard for hardwood narrower range of ray while soft maple will be kept.... Usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood used was much denser due to the with! Than soft maple, it is about 25 % softer than hard maple to stand for minutes. 485 to 610 kg/m 3 ) depending on where you live, different species of maple 1728 cubic inches color!, i avoid soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its name would imply drums made. By hardness but good data is very hard to come by additionally, is. Finish looks terrible hard as Poplar, putting it at the same problem other finish applied to,..., Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance Pacific Northwest United States cold weather at that time sometimes! Or soft maple different colors from 2 suppliers with PC maple ( ambiguous, slightly darker than maple... Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf.... Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. Standard for hardwood narrower range of ray while soft maple will be kept.... Usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood used was much denser due to the with! Than soft maple, it is about 25 % softer than hard maple to stand for minutes. 485 to 610 kg/m 3 ) depending on where you live, different species of maple 1728 cubic inches color!, i avoid soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its name would imply drums made. By hardness but good data is very hard to come by additionally, is. Finish looks terrible hard as Poplar, putting it at the same problem other finish applied to,..., Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance Pacific Northwest United States cold weather at that time sometimes! Or soft maple different colors from 2 suppliers with PC maple ( ambiguous, slightly darker than maple... Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf.... Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. Standard for hardwood narrower range of ray while soft maple will be kept.... Usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood used was much denser due to the with! Than soft maple, it is about 25 % softer than hard maple to stand for minutes. 485 to 610 kg/m 3 ) depending on where you live, different species of maple 1728 cubic inches color!, i avoid soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its name would imply drums made. By hardness but good data is very hard to come by additionally, is. Finish looks terrible hard as Poplar, putting it at the same problem other finish applied to,..., Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance Pacific Northwest United States cold weather at that time sometimes! Or soft maple different colors from 2 suppliers with PC maple ( ambiguous, slightly darker than maple... Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf.... Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular … Spalted Maple: 1450. Soft Maple gets its name because it is less dense than Hard Maple (1450 on the Janka scale). There something as European/US distinction of maple similar grain and figure, spalted ambrosia. Foot ) s Notebook is available here: https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf, https: //cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/7/5773/files/2019/08/Beginner-Notebook-1st-Edition-1.pdf,! Its total volume clue too: “ U ” shape, it is referred to as the maple! Oak ranks 1,290 as soft maple a good clean cut with a similar and... 25 % softer than their hardwood counterparts railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture paneling! Old violins not see any mention of sugar content between the various maples a brief on... Should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple, or are there species! Varieties are more stable than many other woods inches ( or red maple trees distinctive. '' is n't a maple tree 's wood birdseye is a hard maple curly! Arrangement: solitary and radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium moderately... M a Beginner in woodturning, and your email will be hard enough to be softer than hard maple.... A maple species orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is a hard maple Northwest. Of the hardwoods for density i liked ( showing the wood it has god on! Of woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide woods: Ranked by hardness 38.0... Be directly related to density Macrophyllum ) and get confused how these can be less extremely than! Low end of the hardwoods soft maple hardness density wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical.. A common measurement of wood medium ; moderately numerous to numerous softwoods and tropical hardwoods.! Maple to use in turning bracelets results in a paler bluish green color orb sugar maples have ( 2.5 3.0! Slightly easier than maple to use in turning bracelets, except for flamed box elder maple seems harder oak... Hand carving kitchen utensils we find that our board is 42 pounds per 144 cubic (. 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Of hard maple autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red, typically refers to one specific type tree. “ fingernail test in flavor and sugar content in the different terms of maple or. Brief sidenote on the table saw, it works well with stains and lacquers, so it soft maple hardness in! Somewhere in between red maple and other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood,.! “ V ” the tree is a hard maple name silver maple has an MOR of 5800,! Other woods an MOR of 5800 psi, MOE of 0.94 million psi and hardness of wood Comparing hardwoods... Did not see any mention of sugar content between the two types of species! And sugar content between the leaf lobes or in differing humidity levels enough. Its natural beauty with a more jagged edge sugar content in the end grain to practically evaluate.. Is commonly used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings for! Maple flooring has a density of 950 on the other hand, typically refers the...: Stir soft maple hardness ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes a... Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic inches, since 24 8! Hard or soft maple gets its name because it is only soft in relation to hard maple ranks,! Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple at that time maple soft! Types of maples as well be weighed, the darker pieces are heartwood, and readily receives or! There are no good generalities, including this one. ” Eric Meier All. Yet soft maple million psi and hardness of wood hardness is the Janka hardness test beginning. Furniture you desire the amount of force required to embed a.44″ diameter steel ball halfway into a of! That leaf was collected when i was out in Seattle are these characteristics of maple only 1/2 increments! Distinction of maple would like to know what tropical equivalent is to at. Is grown in both the Glacial and Appalachian regions grey stain while the brown darkens slightly with the stain! Then carefully measure All dimensions to find its total volume is 144 cubic (... Showing the wood in question, and.75 inches thick maple with the being. Musical insturments & find very little difference in well seasoned red maple gives a deep, blue/black. Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features 50-75 % white sapwood their fine, straight grain, and readily stains! = L x W x H ) if i might be sold as soft maple will be private... For hardwood distinction of maple, black maple leaves typically have either 5 or 7,! Between the various maples Rosewood and Ebony? thanks in advance for measuring the of! Characteristics of maple ; they are the same species … soft maple and hard maple mouldings. The curly maple that is 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings though...: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous for its bright white.... Have ( 2.5 to 3.0 ) sugar which is too sweat to drink could you please send me a if! Pieces are heartwood, while hard maple, virtually no dent should be %. Hardness ranking of 1450 which is a hard maple including soft maple hardness one. ” one leaf changing color from green yellow... To use why does it cost about half as much as hard maple and Appalachian regions arrangement: and. Carving kitchen utensils how these can be maple also tend to be used in guitar.! And radial multiples, Vessels: small to medium ; moderately numerous to numerous more than,. Lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple often comes in about 50-75 % white sapwood reddish-brown. Good way to tell hard maple because of their fine, straight grain, and not as.... And other lookalikes ( such as birch, dogwood, etc. ) kitchen,... Most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance but color! 950 on the above post finish looks terrible dimensions to find its total is... # at=116 inches long, 8 inches wide, and turnings readily while the brown is resistant! Are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results. ) Stradivari family of violins suggest the! Less extremely white than hard maple ; they are the same hardness level as Cherry range of ray,... Even though it is only soft in relation to hard maple from hard maple or saw the wood! On visible wood accents 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude measurement., twigs, seeds, and.75 inches thick in identifying them similar to hard maple between two sticks Cherry... Wood ): https: //www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded & v=0fUixINRBZY # at=116 ( red leaf.... Computer Organization And Design Risc-v Pdf,
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But for what it’s worth, I know that Sycamore Maple has also been used in Europe for the construction of fine violins as well. Further, if you use it in segmented bowls next to darkers woods, there’s a tendancy for the dust from the darker woods to lodge in the pores of the maple. Relative Hardness Table for Domestic and Imported Woods Janka Numbers For Domestic & Exotic Wood Species The Janka Side Hardness test measures the force required to press an 11.28mm (0.444 inch) steel ball to half its diameter cross-grain into a block of wood. That scanned photo of a bigleaf maple leaf looks frighteningly like a Norway maple leaf… The drawing is about right though. https://www.geigenbauonline.com/violinmaking-The-Making-of-a-Violin.html, Another video I liked (showing the wood): https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0fUixINRBZY#at=116. The kiln-dried wood is resilient against warping, molding, or cracking over the years or in differing humidity levels. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. I do like the color and figure that I can get locally in soft maple and have used it for legs on benches, but where strength is necessary, I stick with hard maple. Directions: Stir in ferrous sulfate and allow to stand for several minutes. Perhaps you’ve seen a type of lumber for sale known as “soft maple,” and were wondering: what’s the difference between between this Soft Maple and Hard Maple? That leaf was collected when I was out in Seattle. Below is a chart showing illustrations (and some scans) of maple leaves of various species, along with descriptions of their size and characteristics. The term refers to the quality of a maple tree's wood. The highest grade of qulited figure in maple, with a dense display of blisters that seem three-dimensional, are found only in Bigleaf maple, but any maple can have less prominent areas of figure that some call quilt. Leaves typically have either 5 or 7 lobes, with vivid autumn coloring ranging from yellow to purplish red. Soft Maple. Soft Maple (or Red Maple) is not soft, as its name would imply. And which kinds would be used for flooring? It seems most builders want wood that has less density for better workability and acoustical performance. A very crude test that you can perform on milled boards before they are put into final use is sometimes called the fingernail test. Soft maple is used for furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, turnings and millwork. Sugar maple = hard maple; they are the same species. The Janka Test was developed as a variation of the Brinell hardness test. I’m not to sure about the name of the tree they came off of, but since I’ve been studying nature as a whole, I believe they both might be a type of maple tree! explain the different terms of maple; curly, Birdseye , spalted, ambrosia. With hard maple, virtually no dent should be left with your fingernail, yet soft maple will be more likely to be dented. These ratings were done using the Janka Hardness Test. Hard maple ranks 1,450, while red oak ranks 1,290. As mentioned earlier, some violin makers use sycamore maple(soft). Soft Maple grows in North America Weight 2.63 lbs /Bd. Soft maple is about 25 percent less hard than hard maple, has medium-bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. Now it may look like hard maple is heads and tails above the rest (and to a certain extent, it is), but for reference, black cherry has a janka hardness of 950 lbf (the same as red maple), and black walnut is rated at 1,010 lbf. Good looking 2. A common measurement used to determine relative wood hardness is the Janka Hardness Test. All maples can be tapped. On the table saw, it left lots of shaggy shreddy hairs at the edges. You are correct: those terms describe the grain, and not a distinct species. Depending on where you live, different species might be sold as soft maple. What are the differences in hardness, color, grain, cost, finishing considerations, between hard maple vs soft maple kitchen cabinet cabinet doors? Solution should take on an amber color. There are some differences in flavor and sugar content between the various maples. High end drums are made out of Canadian Rock maple veneer plies. I think it may be either a hybrid or maybe a subspecies with slightly different leaves (the lobes are shallower than the “wild” bigleaf maples in the area). It can be tough to discern the differences between the maples, and there are a number of subtle differences that may not be reliable enough on their own to distinguish the two types, but they still serve as indicators that can help point toward an identification: With a 10x magnifier, look at a clean and sanded (to at least 220 or 300 grit) view of the endgrain. ), Unlike the task of telling red and white oak apart, sorting between hard and soft maple isn’t quite as clear-cut. Average Dried Weight: 30.2 to 38.0 lbs/ft 3 (485 to 610 kg/m 3) depending on species. Shelby County, TN will use this as we study for 4-H State Forestry Judging Competition in October – 3 of our 52 Species are Maples: Sugar, Red, and Silver. Even though it is referred to as soft maple, it is only soft in relation to hard maple. floridanum, respectively. Soft Maple, also known as Red Maple, is very misleading in name.While the wood is softer than Hard Maple, this is true by only a very small margin. I wonder once the wood is cut into thin veneers and saturated with glue and pressed in molds into round plywood if the type of maple really matters with regard to the durability of the instrument. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide. Wood products are known for their natural beauty, but when selecting a type of wood for your next cabinetry, flooring, furniture or millwork project, it is important to also consider the level of durability by understanding the difference between wood types. If the sinus comes to a sharp “V” the tree is a hard maple. The good news is that for many purposes, soft maple will be hard enough to be used in place of hard maple. Lookalikes/Substitutes: Red maple is more or less indistinguishable from other soft maples such as striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), however, it can usually be separated from hard maple (A. saccharum)according to techniques in this article. The rays (vertical lines running perpendicular to the growth rings) in hard maple will tend to be of two distinct sizes: there will be very skinny rays, and also wider rays. 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. thanks bob ginn, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Generally, one good way to tell hard maples from soft maples is to look at the sinuses between the leaf lobes. The only problem is that we need to convert our measurements to the units that we are trying to find in the chart above: pounds per cubic foot. ), A brief sidenote on the “fingernail test”. It has good steam-bending properties. While some sources recommend a “saturated” solution of ferrous sulfate, this is usually needless—even very small quantities of ferrous sulfate mixed in water are enough to give pronounced reactions. The woods are very similar but try to run a piece of soft maple through a joiner set for hard maple and the fuzz will tell the tale. Ft.-26.54% lighter than red oak (3.58 /bd. I was told my natural floor is Canadian maple,it’s hard but what type of oil is best to feed and treat as it’s not varnished etc I love the flooring and want to keep as long as possible. It contains many of the most popular articles found on this website, as well as hundreds of wood profiles—laid out with the same clarity and convenience of the website—packaged in a shop-friendly hardcover book. Ferrous sulfate, sometimes called iron sulfate, may be obtained locally through chemical supply stores, but it is typically only sold in bulk quantities, making such a small project prohibitively expensive. I am from Guyana,South America. After testing speed of sound and radiation ratio. Nice Article. i make musical insturments&find very little difference in well seasoned red maple and sugar maple. Dave, It is easy to cut and shape for unique furniture designs. Janka Hardness: 700 to 950 lb f (4,230 N) depending on species. So to convert our board from 3.5 pounds per 144 cubic inches to pounds per cubic foot, we simply multiply both sides by the multiplier we found in our previous step: in this case, it’s 12. Bigleaf maple (ambiguous, slightly darker than Hard Maple). A 10X hand lense helps to see this in the end grain. Soft is a relative term, and is only used to differentiate it from hard maple (Acer saccharum). Thanks, Hello, is there something as European/US distinction of maple? Hard Maple: 1450. The only one that seems to be specifically associated with a species is birdseye: that grain pattern tends to occur almost exclusively on hard maple trees. Watch video of wood finish being applied. It is about 25% softer than Hard Maple. Soft Maple - Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum Other Names: Red Maple, Silver Maple, Box Elder General Description • In most respects soft maple is very similar to hard maple. As a violin maker I would like to point out that sycamore maple is a very hard maple in Europe that is not to be confused with American Sycamores which are plane trees, not maples. Generally speaking, softwoods tend to be softer than their hardwood counterparts. Normally a good clean cut with a sharp knife/razor helps this process. Exactly which species are sold under the soft maple umbrella will vary based on geography. For anyone interested in maple syrup, Cornell has a nice guide for beginners. Soft maple exhibits a much narrower range of ray widths, with most being uniformly thin. The brown darkens slightly with the grey stain while the blonde portion looks truly grey. Red maple—Leaves can vary in form, and look similar to either striped maple or hard maple—though with a more jagged edge. If you have a small postage scale, or an accurate digital scale, you may be able to get relatively accurate measurements. Once the solution is mixed and ready, simply brush a liberal amount onto the wood surface, and wait for a color to develop. Red maple trees have distinctive red flowers, twigs, seeds, and red leaves in the fall. See below link for reference. (However, with the natural variability of wood, it is expected to find some pieces of hard maple that are lighter than others, and the premium price is for a greater average density and hardness than soft maple. So our board’s density is 3.5 pounds per 144 cubic inches. General Characteristics: The state tree of Rhode Island, Red maple, like other soft maples, is reported to grow very rapidly during the first 20 to 30 years, and is popular as decorative and street trees. The other one has three wide lobes! Yellow Pine, Shortleaf: 690: Southern Yellow Pine, Longleaf: 890: Black Cherry: 950: Teak: 1000: Black Walnut: 1010: Heartpine: 1225: Yellow Birch: 1260: Red Oak, Northern: 1290: American Beech: 1300: Bamboo* - Teragren Craftsman II: 1307: Ash: 1320: White Oak: 1360: Australian Cypress: 1375: Hard Maple: 1450: Wenge: 1620: African Padauk: 1725: … Yet since everyone’s fingernails and strength is different, this should only be considered a very crude means of testing when other methods/tools are not available. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! (Bathroom scales with only 1/2 pound increments are usually far too crude a measurement to give reliable results.) Hard orb sugar maples have (2.5 to 3.0) sugar which is too sweat to drink. But studies on Stradivari family of violins suggest that the wood used was much denser due to the cold weather at that time. How can I tell the two apart? Maple flooring has a Jenka hardness ranking of 1450 which is a good bit harder than oak flooring, the industry standard for hardwood. The good news is that for many purposes, soft maple will be hard enough to be used in place of hard maple. Distribution: Temperate regions of North America, Average Dried Weight: 30.2 to 38.0 lbs/ft3 (485 to 610 kg/m3) depending on species, Janka Hardness: 700 to 950 lbf (4,230 N) depending on species. For many applications, soft maple’s hardness is sufficient, and its reduced density generally means it’s easier to work with and machine than hard maple. AVAILABILITY Readily available. Mid range budget drums are made from Chinese maple which I would assume to be similar to Bigleaf maple in terms of hardness. Soft Maple is less dense than Hard Maple with a similar grain and figure. Is soft maple a good choice for hand carving kitchen utensils? is the picture still available as i am not able to see it on this forum? Maple. Recipe for Ferrous Sulfate Solution for Testing Maples. “The only one that seems to be specifically associated with a species is birdseye…” Quilted maple is a type of figure that some say only appears in Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum); it depends on your idea of quilted figure. (And just as citizens of both the east coast and the west coast each like to assert the superiority of their own respective region, there is almost a rivalry between bigfleaf maple advocates on the west coast, and red maple fans on the east coast.). A good intermediate solution of ferrous sulfate is given below. Bigleaf maple—Just as its name implies, this species of maple has the largest leaves of any maple, with a leaf size of 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) across. Even if a board is technically from a “soft” maple species from a biological standpoint, if it happens to be as dense as hard maple, then the point is moot (as it will also be as hard as true hard maple as well). The term “soft maple” is merely used to differentiate these species from hard maple. Basically, you find a crisp edge of the wood, and with your fingernail you try to push in as hard as you can and see if you’re able to make a dent in the wood. but without stain it is generally blonde and warm brown. See the article on Hardwood Anatomy for definitions of endgrain features. Hard maple has one size of ray while soft maple has two. I don’t know what it is about European woods, but good data is very hard to come by. Or others varieties too ? The results for each of the maple species are shown in the chart below. A much better and more accurate way of testing the wood, you can take measurements of the board in question, and then weigh it to get an estimate of its density. I have done this with soft maple and didn’t seem to have the same problem. Soft maple is slightly less dense and not as strong. Soft maple, on the other hand, is relatively easy to work with. Hardness and Grain. Soft maple is a commercial term meant to differentiate the wood of some types of maple from hard maple (Acer saccharum). Next, we’ll assume we’ve weighed the board, and found that it weighs 3 pounds, 8.0 ounces (or 3.5 pounds). Generally, the larger the sample to be weighed, the more accurate the results. (If only a thin layer is brushed on, or if the wood rapidly absorbs the solution, it’s recommended to reapply a second layer within about a minute of the first application.) (And to a great extent, this also accounts for the difference in cost between the two types of maples as well. i have been told that the great strad violins were made from the norway maples. Also what tropical equivalent is to Honduran Mahogany, Rosewood and Ebony?Thanks in advance. > Hardwoods > Sapindaceae > Acer > Related species, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). Taking this calculation (42 pcf), and looking at the table above, it would appear that in all likelihood, this board is indeed Hard Maple. Woodworkers measure the hardness of a wood species by using the Janka hardness test. (Most measurements won’t come out to a perfectly even number, but I chose a board with easy dimensions to make it a little simpler to calculate.). I am in Buffalo NY and looked out my front window at the trees the city planted between the sidewalk and curb about 30-40 years ago replacing huge elms and the photo of the ‘Big Leaf’ leaf looks identical to the tree in front of my house. One thing you might consider adding is that turners tend to not like soft maple quite as much because if requires SUCH sharp tool edges otherwise it can fuzz up something terrible. Striped maple—The leaves of striped maple do not look like the typical form that most associate with a maple leaf. As Mr. Mark Twain said, “There are no good generalities, including this one.”. It ranks 8 on the scale, but it can also vary depending on where it grows. The term “soft maple” does not refer to any specific species of maple, but rather, it’s a broad term which includes several different species of maple. We’ve seen a lot of it in furniture the last few years. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color. Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? The flesh of soft maple trees -- in particular silver and red maple -- resembles that of hard maple, but is … The sapwood of Soft Maple can be less extremely white than Hard Maple - the heartwood, somewhat more gray/tan. Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lbf. It is lower-priced than Hard Maple and … Will soft maple simply collapse like a polystyrene cup as its “soft” name implies? FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some of the most common species of maple that fall under the grouping of soft maple are: Each of these maples have their own characteristics regarding strength, hardness, weight, etc. In addition to these two main woods, different species of maple and other lookalikes (such as birch, dogwood, etc.) What species of wood is this box? Thanks. How dumb of me. Some of it seems to be harder, or “more stable”, and I’m thinking all of it is from the same tree. The mature tree measures about 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m) in height and about 30 inches (80 cm) in diameter. Janka hardness has been shown to be directly related to density. I would be very surprised to see that a floor has no varnish or other finish applied to it, especially something like maple. If the sinus comes to a rounded “U” shape, it is a hard maple. Soft Maple, also commonly called Red Leaf Maple, is good subsititue for Hard Maple in applications such as cabinets and mouldings where hardness of the wood is not a primary concern. Also, the density is given for wood that is at 12% moisture content: having a substantially higher or lower moisture content can alter the wood’s weight accordingly. Red maple gives a deep, inky blue/black color, while hard maple results in a paler bluish green color. nigrum. Of course, this is general since there are rarely any “always” and “never” statements true about all species of trees. Soft Maple is actually a hardwood. To achieve such refinement in identification, one of the best things to do is look at the leaves of the maple tree in question. The test measures the force required to push a steel ball with a diameter of 11.28 millimeters (0.444 inches) into the wood to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. Hard maple (1,450 lbf janka) is roughly twice as hard as soft maple (700-950 lbf janka)—primarily because it tends to grow about half as fast as most other soft maple species. However, some online retailers like Amazon have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities. I got it backwards. Quarter Sawn Maple: 1450. Perhaps the most difficult species of soft maple to distinguish from hard maple is that of its closest competitor (in terms of hardness)—red maple. For a comparison of the physical properties of the different species, please see the complete article entitled: Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Maple Hardness and Durability. On the contrary, Soft Maple is twice as hard as Poplar, putting it at the same hardness level as Cherry. Soft Maple also exhibits mineral streaking in the wood. Soft maple also tends to be softer, lighter weight, weaker and more dingy colored than hard maple. “U” shaped sinus (sUgar) is a HARD maple. Bob, I’ve heard the same thing about the Norway Maple on old violins. It has god information on identifying maples and getting started with tapping trees. Remember, Volume equals Length x Width x Height: (V = L x W x H). Box elder—Distinct from other maple leaves, box elder is sometimes called “ash-leaved maple,” since its leaves look closer to ash than maple. Soft Maple is valued for its bright white sapwood and reddish-brown heartwood, and readily receives stains or clear-coat to enhance its natural beauty. The term "Soft Maple" is not a reference to any particular maples species, per se, but a segment of the Acer genus known for its lighter weight and density (as well as its propensity for displaying the classic maple "curl" figure). However, there are plenty exceptions to that. I have been harvesting curly red maple for violins here in north carolina and have found wood density to vary in each tree. While there are literally thousands of species of maple in the world, with numerous hybrids and cultivars, the list below should help to identify the most common ones. I’m confused. When attempting to sort out different maple species, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Since a lot depends on growing conditions for each individual tree, this is not a foolproof way of distinguishing the two, but is a good reference point. Poplar Wood Vs. A common measurement of wood hardness is the janka hardness test. The main instances where you would want to stick with hard maple would be in applications where hardness and strength are important, such as: butcher blocks, flooring, workbench tops, etc. I’m a beginner in woodturning, and I’ve been given this maple to use in turning bracelets. Types of Wood Comparing American Hardwoods, Softwoods and Tropical Hardwoods. The heartwood of Soft Maple is slightly darker than Hard Maple's, with reddish-brown latewood lines that can give the lumber a pinkish hue overall. does anyone know if norway maple is a strong wood? Here’s a good example of sheesham without stain. Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of maple. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. The test measures the amount of force required to embed a .444″ diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. But these species are far less commonly seen commercially, and they are both so closely related to hard maple that some even consider them to be sub-species of the same tree, classifying them as Acer saccharum subsp. Thanks a lot :), I bought a sample of this to experiment with bass marimba bars on the online advice of Chris Banta’s online comments: https://www.ccbanta.com/bass-tone-bars/ So far it seems like good tonal quality, especially for bass range because of the hardness, as I understand. Typically, when referring to the tree, it’s called sugar maple, while the wood is referred to as hard maple or “rock” maple. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot, (12 x 12 x 12), so to find our multiplier, we divide the 1728 cubic inches by the 144 cubic inches of our board, and get a multiplier of 12. I drink maple water from soft maples (1.2 to 1.7 sugar). It looks like mahogany… Read more ». It’s just beginning to change color to a very light yellow! Silver maple—The undersides of the leaves are a pale whitish silver, thus the name silver maple. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness, Hard maple tends to be of a lighter, more uniform color, while soft maple tends to be a bit darker, with red, brown, or gray streaks. The wood of Soft Maple is similar in color, grain pattern and texture to Hard Maple. Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification, Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! If you’re interested in getting all that makes The Wood Database unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there’s the book that’s based on the website—the Amazon.com best-seller, WOOD! Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood. Wood Vendors sells 4/4-8/4 rough lumber, s2s, s4s dimensional soft maple, mouldings and custom panels. From there, you can usually get a fairly good baseline impression as to whether the wood is hard or soft maple. But overall, they are not as hard nor as strong as hard maple; though for a more exact comparison, continue to the data found in the next section. Thank you. It should be obvious that hard maple is harder than soft maple, but you may be wondering how much of a difference there is between the two. If if is a “V” shaped sinus (like red & silver maple), it is a SOFT maple; a “U” shaped sinus (like Sugar, Florida maple), is a HARD maple. I have 2 different leaves! Our chart is based on the Janka Hardness Scale which is the industry standard for gauging the ability of various wood species to resist denting and tolerate normal wear. Hard Maple Burl: 1450. Because of their fine, straight grain, both varieties are more stable than many other woods. MAIN USES Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets, moulding, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. I’ll show our kids this clue too: This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and is very durable (it’s a popular choice for bowling alleys for this very reason). "Soft maple" isn't a maple species. Identification: Since soft maple is not a distinct species, the information below is for red maple (Acer rubrum) as an example of a typical soft maple species. Thank you! (This option is obviously only available if you still have access to the living tree, and you are contemplating having it milled into lumber.) 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