Wood Species Guide
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
Also called: Oregon Maple, Big Leaf Maple, Broadleaf Maple, Pacific Coast Maple, Western Soft Maple, Quilted Maple (figure)
About the name “Bigleaf Maple”
Bigleaf maple is a soft maple from the Pacific Coast, and it is the main source of quilted maple. Quilted and curly figure also turn up in other maples, so a figure name alone does not tell you the species.
What Bigleaf Maple looks like
Mostly creamy white to light reddish tan sapwood, which is the part usually sold. The heartwood is a darker reddish brown, and spalted pieces show black zone lines.
Grain and texture
Fine, even texture with a soft luster. It is famous for figure: quilted, curly, burl and spalted pieces are common.
Working Bigleaf Maple: planing, cutting and gluing
Works easily with hand and machine tools, and it glues and turns well. Figured boards can tear out on the planer, so use a sharp, low-angle cut, a helical head or a drum sander.
Finishing Bigleaf Maple: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Takes clear finishes beautifully, and figure pops under oil or a dye. Like other maples it can blotch with pigment stain, so use a conditioner or dye. Its tight pores give little trouble under epoxy, but seal spalted or punky spots first.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Not decay resistant, so keep it indoors. Movement is moderate. In Florida, acclimate slabs in air conditioning and finish both faces evenly.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Bigleaf maple is where most quilted and many curly maple tops come from, so guitar builders and table makers chase it. Burl slabs and spalted pieces make great river tables and accent tops, and the pale wood pairs well with dark or colored epoxy. Stabilize punky spalted areas before flattening. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Bigleaf Maple
Guitar tops, furniture, cabinets, veneer, turned bowls, burl tabletops, river tables and boxes.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Common along the West Coast and not threatened.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
- Respiratory / asthma
Sound maple rarely causes trouble beyond mild skin or airway irritation. Spalted maple is a special case: mold in it can cause a serious lung reaction, so use a respirator on spalted pieces.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + mask; respirator for spalted maple
- Food contact
- Good choice for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Maple dust can cause mild skin irritation and asthma-type symptoms in some people. Use dust collection and a mask, and a real respirator for spalted wood.
Bigleaf Maple in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Bigleaf Maple listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
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