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Figured & Fiddleback Maple
Same species as Soft Maple. Resembles Hard Maple being closed-grained but much softer. Easily worked. Turns and planes well. Does not require fillers to achieve a glass smooth finish. The curls appearing across the board are the result of contortions in the grain that reflect light at different angles.
Length: Not specified
Thickness: 4/4
- Common Name(s): Figured Maple
- Scientific Name: Acer saccharum
- Distribution: Northeastern North America
- Tree Size: 80-115 ft (25-35 m) tall, 2-3 ft (0.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter
- Average Dried Weight: 44.0 lbs/ft³ (705 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: 1,450 lbf (6,450 N)
- Crushing Strength: 7,830 lbf/in² (54.0 MPa)
Heartwood: Tends to be a darker reddish brown.
Sapwood: Ranges from nearly white to an off-white cream color, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue.
Grain: Generally straight but may be wavy as seen in these figured boards.
Texture: Fine, even texture with moderate natural luster.
Rated as non-durable to perishable and susceptible to insect attack.
Figured maple is fairly easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Maple does have a tendency to burn when being machined with high-speed cutters such as in a router so some care must be taken. Turns, glues, and finishes well though blotches can occur when staining; using a pre-conditioner, gel stain, or toner may be necessary to get an even color.
- Flooring (from basketball courts and dance-floors to bowling alleys and residential)
- Veneer
- Musical instruments
- Cutting boards, butcher blocks, and workbenches
- Baseball bats and other turned objects
- Specialty wood items
Called curly maple because the ripples in the grain pattern create a three dimensional effect that appears as if the grain has “curled” along the length of the board. It’s also referred to as fiddleback maple, in reference to its historic use for the backs and sides of violins. Fiddleback, it should be noted, is a very specific type of curl- typically, the spaces in between a curl have to be a quarter of an inch or less for it to be classified as “fiddleback” curl. Tight, uniform, and usually close to a 90 degree angle to the wood grain, fiddleback curl is prized by luthiers for instrument backs and sides. Acoustic guitars, mandolins, and violins most commonly use fiddleback.
Curly maple figuring is similar to quilted maple, but curl is a primarily horizontal pattern perpendicular to the wood grain. Unlike quilted maple, curly maple is most pronounced when the board is Quartersawn, and the curls usually become much less pronounced or absent in flatsawn sections of boards. It is not completely clear what environmental conditions (if any) cause this phenomenon