# soft maple



## watcher (Sep 4, 2009)

hello i am having a soft maple cut down next week and was wanting to know if it is good for much like does it turn well on a lathe can it be carved using hand chisels or just anything ? i just hate to see wood being burned if it can be usefull and i havent worked with this before so i am asking the great woodworkers here on lumberjocks to give me some input on the subject.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

I like the so-called soft maples, especially silver maple and box elder.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Don't burn it mill it.


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## CanadianWoodWorks (Dec 29, 2009)

I decided to build my first hal taylor rocking chair out of wormy soft maple check it out I have a blog on it.

Mill it and build some beautiful projects you won't regret it


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## SST (Nov 30, 2006)

I made an end table with some & the results were great. I think it works well, although I haven't carved or turned it… just cut, glued, planed, routered & finished. I certainly wouldn't burn it.-SST


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## BelleCityWW (May 28, 2007)

I bought a bunch of Soft Maple for .45 cents a board foot. Here is a little table I made from it.



And here is the top:



I agree…...Mill it and use it.


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## Timberwerks (Sep 29, 2009)

Soft maple is fantastic, mill it.


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## mattg (May 6, 2008)

It's free wood, mill it up, and gloat about it!!!!


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

I agree with the rest to mill it but if you have a lathe save some chunks to turn and if the grains are "plain" slap some dye "ala Trifern" and have a go at it! Just keep your chisels sharp to reduce tear outs. If you come to a place in the tree where the stem splits into 2 branches be darn sure to save that section for the lathe as that area will usually have the prettiest, most unusual grains due to stress factors from the 2 branches.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Soft maple (aka silver maple) is a great wood to work with. I have never turned it, but my intuition is that it would turn well. It has a Janka hardness index of about 700, about half of what hard (sugar) maple is. It is harder than poplar, cedar, pine, aspen and other softer woods. It is just a little softer than sycamore.

More importantly - it's easy to work with and easy to stain and finish.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Silver maple is great turning wood.

*SOME EXAMPLES,*


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## ropedog (Mar 26, 2008)

turning freshly cut silver maple is about as good as it gets. let us know if you need a hand using that wood.


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## rob2 (Nov 27, 2007)

It is a wonderful wood. Easier to work than hard maple but very strong. Finishes well. Great stuff. If you air dry it be sure to stick it well and paint the ends.


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## TheWoodsmith (May 28, 2010)

USE IT!! i got "talked into" buying 100 BF of the stuff at rock bottom price from this small mill i go to and it was a great buy! it machines really well, but i disagree on the "ease of finish" it didn't stain up very well but dont take my word for it as this was my first foryer into soft maple


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