# Silver maple--Comments please



## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I have the opportunity to have two silver maple milled up for about 50 cents a bf.

Trees are about 25-30" breast hgt diam.

For those that work soft maples is it worth the trouble of sawing moving and drying it.

They are yard trees and I have to replace band saw blades at 35 dollars each.

Please if you have first hand experience with doing this sort of thing please comment. The trees are kind of sentimental to me. My wife will calf when she sees me loading into the garage to dry for three years.

Can you make shaker round boxes from silver maple?

I'll at least get some blocks to turn from it.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

I've yet to hear of anyone boasting that there project was made from Silver Maple or seen it advertised for sale. You could always Google it and see if it is used for anything specific or just gets sent to the landfill . I don't even know if it is a Hard or a Soft Maple to be honest. Possibly jocks Treebones or Barlow can answer your questions .


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## shimmy (Nov 8, 2008)

I couldn't say as to making shaker boxes from Silver Maple. I'm pretty sure it's a soft maple and it does spalt very quickly. For that reason alone it can make for an interesting project. Definitely keep some to turn. If you look at my projects you'll see a goblet made from it.


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## SST (Nov 30, 2006)

I believe that the soft maple I used for flooring at my summer cottage is silver maple. It looks nice , but was not as hard as "hard" maple. (duh) I was happy with the result and at .50 per foot, I'd probably be inclined to use it. 
-SST


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## jeffthewoodwacker (Dec 26, 2007)

You will not get much usable yield from a tree 25-30 inches in diameter. Silver maple is not as hard as other maple tree species but is a nice wood to turn. You might consider having it quartersawn. Next question is how you plan on drying it. At .50 cents a board foot you can't go wrong. With yard trees not much danger of something like a nail, old fence post or other metal object lurking somewhere inside to destroy a saw blade. I would go for it and get it milled.


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## Daren (Sep 16, 2007)

Silver maple gets a bad rap because it is compared to "hard maple" (sugar maple)...it is not at all soft. Sawn fresh and dried right it makes perfectly good lumber. Go for it ! $.50 a bft for milling and $35 a blade is kinda a gig IMO,shop around unless this sawyer has a VERY good rep.


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## JJackson (Mar 23, 2007)

I agree with Daren. .50 a bf is not a bad deal for sawing but I guess I have a real problem with $35 for hitting metal. Being a Woodmizer owner I know that blades from Woodmizer are $25 each and to simply resharpen a blade is $7. Hitting a piece of metal does not make the blade junk. I would also look around for another sawyer. IMHO.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

Thank you ALL for pausing to write.

DARREN-I really like your site and the economic discussion about wood. I am going to check with a farmer friend about cutting fees.

What constitutes dried right?

Many places on the web have used this wood.

I used to climb these trees, hang bird houses from them and when home on leave slept under them LIKE AN OL' DOG while the sun beat down on me.

I am an old sap(no pun ) when it comes to sentimental things.

thank you also JJ

Nice goblet shim.

My wallet will be prepared for a nail or two. Because I drove them in the tree and then left my father's hammer laying in the yard, I was 8. The bird feeder was made of a 2×8 base, ply wood and had a top and one side. My skills have not progressed much. I sure was proud when those birds used it. The ships carpenter for USS Constitiution could not have been more proud.


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## Daren (Sep 16, 2007)

When I said dried right I was referring to the way maple can "sticker stain" during air drying. Just make sure to use dry stickers and have the pile where it can get good air flow through the stack. A couple nails, while a bummer, are not a deal breaker in a log that size…just get a metal detector and dig them out.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

I like silver maple for woodturning, & other projects.

I had a tree cut down in my yard & saved some of it.

I cut up some into blocks, & wished I had kept more.


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## Boardman (Feb 7, 2008)

It's a "soft" maple, but as someone said, that a relative term. It's more likely to show figure such as curl. It won't be as uniformly white as hard maple - more likely to have subtle color tones - which can be nice looking. I'm guessing that why you don't see much of it as lumber is that it branches out into several "trunks" pretty low to the ground.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

I sometimes use silver maple instead of poplar on projects. It is much harder and durable and machines very well. It is very stable if dried correctly. It is fairly inexpensive in my area. I have some great curly pieces also that are always set aside for other works. I also don't think you will get much yield from a small diameter tree. You would need to get an estimate as to how much you will realistically yield from these trees.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

I love soft maple.


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## Daren (Sep 16, 2007)

A 25" X 8' log will yield 220 bft, 30" X 8' has 338 bft (Doyle scale) http://www.timberbuyer.net/sawlogbf.htm


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## jcecil (May 28, 2008)

I agree with most that the pricing seems right maybe minus the blade fee.

But I would suggest a bigger issue to me and that is you say the trees are sentimental and for that very reason I would say go for it. If you build anything out of it I think you will enjoy that piece more than you can imagine for that very reason. Every time you go buy the piece you will remember what it was that meant something about those trees.

My parents had a stump (only about 15" diam and 24" long) leftover from a silver maple that had sat for some time I cut it on the bandsaw and it was spalted like you wouldn't believe. I build my mother a nice country box out of it that she had wanted and she loves the fact that it came from that tree that they unfortunately had to cut down.

PS. the rest of it is sitting waiting for the perfect time to be used haha.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I measured the trees today and got 32" and 34" using a rachet strap and measing it with a tape 103" and 108" using "Pi' to get diam at chest height.

The 32" does not have a limb for about 14'

What is the average waste factor 25 to 30 %????

Farmer freind said he could mill for about .40 /bf but will have a tough time with trees over 28" diam.

How hard would it be to split these things?

Thank you for all of your help.


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## Daren (Sep 16, 2007)

If he can't mill a 34" log…find another sawyer. Depends how it is sawn as far as waste factor, 1/4 sawn yes it would be 30%+, but there is no real benefit to merit that anyway like oak or sycamore for example. Use that calculator I linked…that is sawn out yield, grade sawn. Just through and through or flitch sawn it is higher (which you cannot do given the size). 32" x 14' is over 650 bft on a bad day on a bandmill.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

thank you!!!


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

"You will not get much usable yield from a tree 25-30 inches in diameter." ??? At the sawmill I used to work at, most of their grade logs were that size or smaller. Logs bigger than 30" aren't all that plentiful anymore like they once were.

I would not hesitate to saw them. Soft maple was a junk wood years ago, but that has changed, and the price has risen accordingly. Around here it costs about the same per bf as red oak.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

I remember when Aspen (poplar) was a junk wood.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

Silver Maple, commonly called soft Maple which it isn't, soft that is, has probably got more local names than crappie (if you don't fish ask someone that does) in Ky its often called water maple. When I was growing up it was simply maple and sugar maple, often called hard maple. I suspect that most maple furniture (mass production) is soft maple and probably a lot of maple veneer.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

Began sawing the silver maple today and got +/-200 bf out of the upper trunks

about 18-6w x 10ft
7--12w x 10ft
and a bunch of misc 1"

12-- 3" square x 48" future stool legs.

The farmer is doing the work for a very reasonable lump sum.
I provided the labor.
As a boy I worked for this man on his apple farm. I felt like a kid again today. I know cutting wood day in day out is real work but I had a blast today.

It was nice winter weather today. When the sun went down it got real cold.

Thanks again for all the great advice from you folks.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

Dang! I am so drooling…


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I would go for it but I agree the blades could be salvaged even after a snag or two great wood to work with Alistair


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Jam. I believe I'm envious of the day you put in, and the yield thereof. May you discover minor spalt and reversing grain and may you live long and prosper, and your children with thee.


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

Very interesting thread here! I am about to cut down a silver maple in my front yard in a week or two. From what I calculated, it should yield over 350 bf.

Let's see some pics!!


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## jm540 (Jan 14, 2009)

do it it'll be cheaper than pine/spruce and good wood
Cut it in 12/4 by what ever your band saw can handle a get some quarter sawn 5/4 by how much it will yield the stuff you don't make into projects will make your shop fixtures and jigs look nice


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I have an estimate so far without doing the trunks

I have 26 1×6x 12'
12 1×8 x10 some 12'
12 3"x" x 4' for stool legs to turm
19 1×12 x 10 and 12'

a bunch of "character wood" some slabs some 2"x for end tables or coffee tables

all the boards a more clear than I could afford at lowes or HD.

The Trunks are as stated above, I'm going to cut a dining room trestle table out of the top.

I have pictures to post soon.

I know siver maple isn't a cheished hardwood but I 'm not a great woodworker either.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

I always say, *"If it's wood its good"*.


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## woodman928 (Feb 26, 2009)

I have used a lot of silver leaf maple and found nothing wrong with it. It does machine rough sometimes but sands well and will hold an edge quit well Red leaf is better and seems a little harder but both are soft maples.
You would be surprised how much soft maple is used and sold as hard to the unsuspecting customer most production furniture is soft maple. Go for it you'll like it.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

I join in by also wanting to see some pictures!


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## jm540 (Jan 14, 2009)

your getting maple ceaper than pine or spruce get it and make door stops they'll look good


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## Kirks (Jan 16, 2009)

Dude !!!!
I just did the same thing last fall !!!! I had an absolutely huge Red Maple in the back yard… I would suffer to say that it may have been the oldest tree in a half mile radius. I HATED to have it taken down, But repeated lightning strikes and the potential damage it might cause during a high windstorm along with a number of other smaller issues, and it was the wise choice. This tree, and not all of it milled has yielded about 1,500 b/f of clear 
very useful lumber. Why any maple is classified as "soft" is beyond me… 
I have been around long enough to have personal word of mouth "woodlore" from grandparents' grandparents…
if you know what I mean. And this much I remember being told as a little bit….
Back when all Carpentry was done with handtools (not that long ago) It was only the most highly skilled wood workers, who COULD work with Maple. Even those that could do the work, MOST would often refuse to make furniture Tables, chairs, etc… because the wood was too hard. This was especially true with hard maple but the other maples were considered hard to work as well… IF someone had a reputation for working in maple, He was sought out, was considered highly skilled and successful. The problem was in keeping all the blades, bits, planes and scrapers sharp enough to cut the wood efficiently. Sharpening is a skill unto itself. 
They knew then, and people are relearning now, that maple furniture and cabinets etc. finish better than most hardwoods, they are easier to clean, due to the nonexistent grain, and it lasts forever… all qualities highly cherished at a time when the idea was to pass down the homes furnishings through the generations or as a dowery. 
I hope I can offset my sense of loss of the tree with providing a few pieces of furniture,etc… that will last long after I am gone. 
this much I remember about working this wood… Plane with the growth…
It won't take nails… always pre drill or risk splitting or bending all the nails…
heavy finishes are unnecessary…
and that's it…
hope I didn't bore everyone… writing it helps me remember it…
K


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Here's what you may find when you start using this wood.



























Curly


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

We moved the wood to my garage today.

The 32" X14' trunk has still not been cut.

The pile stacked and stickered is 6'x 12x x 4'0" high in some places. Lots of varied sized pieces. Wife is mad that our less that one year old garage has one bay full of "that wood"!

I promise the pictures will come. I wanted to take some of the grain as we were stacking but I think stacking was the hardest part of the work. We even ran out of stickers some of the 3"x3" future turings are not stickered along with about 10 boards on top. I have a sheet of crappy plywood to make some stickers out of.

Parts of me hurt real bad right now. It was a lot more fun placing the wood on the Truck than it was taking it off.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I have noticed some mold growing on the stacked lumber. Is this normal?

I now see why hardwood is so expensive it splits, it molds and you have to store it for a year before you can even think about getting a dime for it.

I promise to try to get pictures here.


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## Daren (Sep 16, 2007)

No it's not normal…you need more air flow, get a fan blowing on it.


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

I agree with Daren.


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## cmaeda (Sep 1, 2008)

I learned this the hard way but it would help if you took the pith out too. I'm drying some eucalyptus now and anywhere that I left parts of the pith has split. All the other wood is fine. Also, be sure to seal the ends asap. In my limited experience, even letting the wood sit out a day will cause some splitting.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

You should also have used silver maple scraps for the stickers. The ply may stain the maple.


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

Green sticks on white lumber is a great way to get sticker stain. Anything *DRY* is better.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Has anyone ever tried 1/2", or 3/4" PVC pipe for stickers?

I've thought about, but haven't tried it.

You would get a lot less contact also.


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

I have seen that discussed before on other forums. It is unstable if you leave it whole (round), and keeping it straight while you split it can be a challenge. Either way you can't make your stack very high or it will crush the ones on the bottom.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

Thank you all


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

Here's to hoping this works!!!!

Like a cave man flying the space shuttle!!!!!


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

the infamous RED X


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/cantputjamontoast/

three pictures of the wood from the trees in this thread.

one trunk is still waiting to be cut up.

Please let me know if you can view the photos.

One shows one end of the pile.

the next shows some 4' long slabs of 8 qtr and the seat and bench part for my first ever shaving horse

the last shows some 3×3 turning blanks that are about 4 ft long. please pardon the kids bike.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

Way Cool.
This haul is definitely worth the work you put in.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I owe it all to the folks here for giving me the ummph to do it.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Looking good!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

Very nice! Are you going to get some sealer on the ends so they don't check? I cut up some red maple (swamp maple) branches and small trunk pieces and sent them from my folks' place in NJ to me here in LA, but every one checked from the center out, from one end to the other. Even pieces I cut out of a couple that hadn't yet gotten any checks did so later, one even while I was turning it! It just split wide open on the lathe.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I used anchorseal right away.

Coated the rounds before milling and coated them again before stacking.
Still the checking is quite extensive as you see.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

so how does one make the pictures appear with the text?

I could not figure it out.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

You put an exclamation mark, followed immediately by the online address of the image (e.g. http://www.somesite.com/someimage.jpg), followed immediately by parentheses, inside which you put whatever rollover text you want (text that pops up to describe the image when you roll over it with the mouse), followed immediately by another exclamation mark, then a colon, and lastly followed immediately by an address to somewhere else (in my posts, each image has the URL to the flickr page where the image comes from, so you can click the image to go over there and view larger, or read my descriptions there).

So, if I wanted to put in an image of my dust collector, with a link to its flickr page, and some simple rollover text, I'd do this:

! http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3583/3675923757_59e2e66e66.jpg?v=1246399637(my dust collector)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/garyfixler/3675923757/in/set-72157620643043579/

Note the space after the ! at the beginning. That keeps it all from resolving to an actual linked image. If I do all that again, but remove that space, as you would do in your post, it becomes this:



More simply, just click the little picture of the mountain with the sun over it above each post or comment box. Then it'll just ask you for the 3 pieces of info, and make the link for you wherever your cursor is in the entry box.

Even more simply, just put the address to the image with an exclamation point on either side of it (no spaces between), and that'll become the image in your post. It won't have rollover text, or a link elsewhere, so clicking it won't do anything, but it's a very simple, effective way to inline images.


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

Thank you Gary, I'm going to try this week.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

You've got a great pile of lumber, Nice grab.


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## mjdinsmore (Sep 2, 2008)

I have a very large silver maple in my yard that I'm going to have to cut down. I have spent an hour on the web looking for info and trying to decide if it's worth saving. In particular, I'd like to make a workbench from it, but it seems like the maple would be too soft. A shame though, because getting hard maple in the Boston area requires a second mortgage (if you're getting any quantity)!


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## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

I say go for it!!!!

the wood is not that soft.

you are going to pay dearly to have it cut down. You may as well get a bandsaw guy to hack up the tree


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## ANGELEE (Jan 4, 2015)

I have a very large Silver Maple. She is over 80 years old. At the tallest point I can reach it is 19' ( yes feet ) around. That's right below the base of her large branches that are roughly 50-60 '( yes feet ) long. Is this tree worth anything? I have a man with a mill that wants us to bring it to his yard he will Mill is and sell it off. He says he charges $75 an hour and $25 a blade. What do you think of this


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

I've used silver maple from the local sawmill in projects before. It's actually pretty hard… harder than BORG-bought soft maple. It can have some really nice figure, too. I would love to have that lumber.


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