determine hard or soft maple

Discussion in 'Maples' started by festus, Oct 11, 2006.

  1. festus

    festus Member

    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    brighton,USA
    hi everyone, first time asker, so please forgive me up front if this is not the right forum or process to follow... please advise... but is there a way to tell if some maple that I have rough sawn is hard maple or soft?? No bark, twigs or leaves etc. just really beautiful stripes and figures
     
  2. Rima

    Rima Active Member

    Messages:
    991
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Canada
    What kind of maple is it?
     
  3. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

    Messages:
    3,407
    Likes Received:
    3,453
    Location:
    Normandie, France
    I don't think he knows, that's the point! :)

    I guess from the description of stripes it is a hard wood. But the best way to tell is to dig a fingernail in. If it goes in easy (like pine) it's soft. If your finger hurts (like oak) it's hard.

    Not sure this is much help. According to Hardy de Beaulieu "hard maple" is a common name for A. saccharaum subsp. grandidentatum, but there is no mention of a "soft maple." Perhaps a local name for Silver Maple?
     
  4. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    11,417
    Likes Received:
    501
    Location:
    Britain zone 8/9
    'Soft' maple wood is from Red Maple and Silver Maple (which have very similar wood quality); 'hard' maple wood is from Sugar Maple, Black Maple and their close allies.

    Then there's a whole lot of other maples which aren't either (e.g. Norway Maple, Japanese Maple, etc.).

    The only useful way to proceed is to find a forest products laboratory where they can identify wood samples for you, and give them a bit of the wood.
     

Share This Page