Wood Species Guide: groups
Maples
Maples are the bright, tough workhorses of North American woodworking. Hard maple, also called sugar maple or rock maple, is dense, fine grained and pale, which makes it a top pick for butcher blocks, cutting boards, workbench tops and kitchen cabinets. Soft maple is lighter in weight and easier to work while keeping a similar look, and it often arrives with curly or spalted figure. Ambrosia maple is soft maple with streaks of gray and brown left by tiny beetles and the fungus they carry, and it is one of our most popular slab woods for river tables and charcuterie boards. Box elder is a maple too, known for the pink and red flame streaks turners love. Maple can blotch under dark stain, so we usually suggest a clear finish or a gel stain. Browse the maple species below to see which one fits your build and what we have in our Fort Myers racks right now.
6 species in this group, 3 in stock now.
- Ambrosia MapleIn stockAcer spp. (usually red or silver maple) Ambrosia maple is soft maple with a story: tiny beetles bored into the tree and their fungus painted gray and tan streaks through the pale wood....
- Hard MapleIn stockAcer saccharum (black maple, Acer nigrum, is sold under the same name) Hard maple is the tough, light-colored workhorse of American hardwoods. It is dense enough for butcher block and flooring, clean enough for modern furniture, and its...
- Soft MapleIn stockAcer rubrum, Acer saccharinum and related species Soft maple gives you the clean, light look of maple at a gentler price and with easier working properties. It is the base wood behind ambrosia...
- Bigleaf MapleAcer macrophyllum Bigleaf maple is the West Coast's soft maple and the main source of quilted maple. Its figured slabs, burls and spalted pieces are favorites for guitar...
- Box ElderAcer negundo Box elder is a small, scrappy North American maple best known for its bright pink and red flame streaks. It is a turner's favorite and makes...
- Sycamore MapleAcer pseudoplatanus Sycamore maple is the European maple behind fine violin backs and old kitchen ware. It is pale, fine textured and often has rippling fiddleback figure.
Not sure which wood fits your project?
Walk the racks with us in Fort Myers. We'll show you the slabs and boards side by side and talk through hardness, finish and budget.