Maple Suger/Hard

Botanical name: Acer saccharum. Grows in: North America.

Color: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white.

Grain: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fiddleback, curly or bird's-eye figuring. Figured boards often culled during grading and sold at a premium.

Black maple (B. nigrum) is also hard; other species are classified as soft.

Durability: Above average.

Hardness/Janka: Janka: 1450; (12% harder than Northern red oak).

Dimensional Stability: Average (9.9; 15% less stable than red oak).

Workability: Hard maple's density makes it difficult to machine and work with hand tools. It is difficult to sand because of density, and because light color makes sander markers show more than on darker woods. Extra care must be taken during sanding and finishing, as sanding marks and finish lines are more obvious due to maple's density and light color.No known problems with nailing.

It takes finish well; May be difficult to stain.