Pen #65
Wood Information
Maple, Hard;         (Acer saccharum)
Common Names:   Hard maple, Rock maple, Sugar maple
Distribution: The most commercially important type of maple, Sugar maple, is also the most abundant
type found in the United States. It is reported to most prevalent in New England, but its growth range
extends from the extreme southeastern region of Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, southward to North
Carolina, and west to eastern Kansas. It is found locally in northwest South Carolina and north Georgia.
The tree prefers moist soils of uplands and valleys, and is sometimes found in pure stands. It may also
be found at elevations of up to 2500 feet (762 m) in the north, and at 3000 to 5500 feet (914-1676 m) in
the southern Appalachians.
Wood Sources: Plain maple is reported to be readily available in both lumber and veneer forms, but
figured maple veneers are limited in availability and are considerably more expensive.
Sugar maple is reported to derive its name from one of its by-products, maple sugar. A single Sugar
maple tree is reported to be capable of producing twelve gallons of maple sap a year. About forty gallons
of maple sap is required to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup.
Tree Data: The official tree of several states including Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and New York,
Sugar maple grows to a height of 70 to 120 feet (21 to 37 m), with a diameter of about 24 to 36 inches
(60 to 90 cm).
Grain: Sugar maple grain is typically straight, but it can also be curly or wavy. The wood is described as
close-grained and subdued, sometimes with decorative figuring including, bird's eye, maple burl,
blistered, leaf, and fiddleback.
The sapwood is white in color, with a reddish tinge. The heartwood is uniformly pale reddish brown or
light tan. Bird's-eye maple, a form of white or sugar maple, usually exhibits two colors, a whitish
background with brownish dots at irregular intervals. The dots, which are rarely solid, usually have a
circular rim that is of a different color than the center, rather like an eye. The dots are believed to be the
starting-points of new side branches that may or may not have actually grown out from the trunk of the
tree.
Natural Growth Features: A characteristic feature in the hard maples is bird's-eye figure which usually
appears as attractive patterns on veneer manufactured from the species. Flecks caused by insects may
also be present in the wood. Figured
Strength Properties: The species has very high bending strength, and is much stronger than Teak in
the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). Strength in compression parallel to grain is in
the high range. Hardness is rated as medium. It resists denting and marring, and is heavy. Sugar maple
is a member of the hard maple group, which also includes Black maple (Acer nigrum). Hard maples are
reported to be up to 25 percent harder than the Soft maples.
Pen #54 - Maple Twist Pen - Tiger Maple
Pen #44
Harding Pens and Woodturnings
Wood Information