Not long ago I saw our friend Nicu Ivănescu - I think you remember him, the one with the wooden cottage in Fairy Valley - some photos of a ladder made of a wood I couldn't identify. I asked him what wood it was and he said it was maple. I didn't know much about the tree either. All I knew was that it can be found on the banks of rivers, but I didn't know anything about alder wood, apart from the fact that it exists. So I started researching and found out some really interesting things.
There are many species of maple spread all over the world. The one found naturally throughout Europe, north-west Asia and north Africa is Alnus glutinosa, also known as the black or European maple. It's the species that also grows here.
The arbutus (or aninus, it's the same thing) prefers moist soils and light, and is found in swamps, river banks and forest edges. It is a pioneer tree, settling where there are no other trees. Over time other species appear, forming a forest. Unfortunately, in the forest, the maple can't survive. The trees he makes to sit next to him bring his demise. Being a great lover of light, it eventually loses its lower branches, leaving only a small crown at the top, and the shoots that sprout from the seeds die for lack of light. Fortunately the seeds are light and can be carried by the wind and a moon, so they reach great distances.
The tree grows to 20-30 m, rarely taller than that. When young it has a tall, straight trunk with smooth, greenish gray bark and thin branches that do not form a crown. At maturity it forms an arched crown with crooked branches, and the bark darkens and cracks. It is planted to stabilize river banks and control flooding. The leaves are rich in nitrogen and those that fall to the ground and decompose are a very good fertilizer for surrounding trees (nuc, brad or plop).
Maple can live up to 160 years, but it's best to cut it by 60-70 years of age because after this age it begins to form heart rot. Young maple wood has a lighter, reddish-yellow color, but as it matures the color darkens, becoming more reddish. Its fiber is delicate and uniform, straight or twisted, depending on the conditions in which it has grown, the annual rings are inconspicuous and the pores are small and scattered throughout the annual ring.
surso foto: rarewoodsandveneersAlder wood is a soft wood that is not recommended as a strength wood in construction. However, there is evidence that it was used in the foundations of many medieval cathedrals and even in the construction of the pillars of the Rialto Bridge in Venice. And that's because it's highly resistant under water. It is a paradox, because above the ground its resistance to rotting is low and after cutting, it has to be quickly cut into planks and dried. Under water, however, it seems to be in its element, its resistance is considerable.
Another quality is high temperature resistance. This property, combined with moisture resistance, makes it very good for sauna construction. One important property - low thermal conductivity - makes it very suitable for sauna benches or recliners.
Maple wood is used to make paper and board, fiberboard, fiberboard, furniture, windows, toys, pencils, bowls and platters. The sawdust is used for smoking fish and meat and has a very pleasant fruity flavor. The bark, flowers and fruit are very rich in tannins and are used in natural colorants. They are also used in herbal medicine to treat bleeding and other diseases.
Both lumber and veneer are used in furniture. It is a soft and flexible wood that is easy to work with both by hand and with tools, sanded nicely and evenly colored. You can get various pieces of furniture and because all the documentation about alder started from Nicu, below are two of the works he made with alder wood.
Being soft, it carves easily and is used to make decorative spoons.
It is also used to make wooden bowls, plates and platters.
I don't know about you, but the maple really impressed me. I thought of it as a decorative tree on the banks of rivers, not realizing that it could have so many uses. And I think maple wood is really beautiful.
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Thank you! They are interesting and documented articles. Congratulations!
Thank you too!
Good evening,
Mrs Mihaela,
I have corresponded with you before on the subject of formaldehyde/parquet, at the time I was at this chapter, your reply helped me,
Now I need one more comment from you, namely regarding the chapter on interior doors,
I bought three oak hdf doors for the bathrooms and the pantry, and three solid oak doors for the bedrooms and the living room, the wooden doors being untreated with nothing, just sanded, the color of the six doors being roughly similar, after long research I decided to give the wooden doors with boiled linseed oil (eco) undiluted with nothing, on the criterion that whatever lacquer I used had emissions of toxic substances, I have given only the hinges with the oil in question and I found that they have darkened a lot in color, now it looks more like a walnut wood, a dark brown being a big difference from the door that I have not yet given it with oil, the question for you would be what is the solution to restore the color of the hinge and what to treat the doors so that they keep the natural color, not to be toxic, possibly I would prefer all an oil, if you can recommend a product / supplier.
there is a possibility that it may open in time, possibly after it dries permanently, the purchased product is "paint eco", manufacturer "linum color ltd" from Latvia, recommended as colorless.
Hello!
When oil is applied to the wood, it will darken. The difference is from dry wood to wet wood (when wet raking over dry, unprotected wood). I understand that with you the change is very large, which makes me think you used an outdoor oil that also has a pigment content.
To restore the original colour of the wood you should wash the wood with turpentine, white spirit or universal thinner. If the wood doesn't come back to colour, it has become very dark and needs to be sanded to remove the oily surface layer.
It is difficult to keep the original colour of the wood without using varnishes. There is acrylic varnish for natural effect, which keeps the appearance of the wood almost unchanged, but it is not an organic product. Try very pure linseed oil for interior use or mineral oil.
Another option would be to bleach the wood with hydrogen peroxide (perhydrol) and after drying apply oil. The oil will darken the wood, but the difference in the discoloration will compensate.
All the best!
good evening,
thank you for your answer,
Is the mineral oil safe from a toxicity point of view, can I use it to treat the door in the nursery?
Good evening!
Mineral oil is the safest in terms of toxicity. It is the oil used to finish kitchen chopping boards, bowls and other wooden objects used in the kitchen.
All the best!
good evening
thank you very much for your support
all the best
Good evening. I have maple wood and would like to execute an interior staircase. What do you advise??? It is used for interior stairs. The thickness is 5 cm and the humidity is 11. Thank you very much!!
Hello
You can make the ladder out of maple wood. Nicu Ivanescu, who I talk about at the beginning of the article, made such a staircase in a rustic-looking house and it works very well. Maple is also a beautiful wood, so you'll win aesthetically too.
Humidity is OK for indoors (8-12%).
All the best!