Maple, a demanding wood for skilled carpenters

Maple wood, which is less commonly found in furniture factories, is a material used by skilled carpenters to make unique pieces of furniture or decorative objects. One of its important uses is as resonance woodfor making violins or violas. It is believed to have been used by famous violin makers for their lovely sounding violins. But there is controversy here, which I'll tell you about in a moment. But first, a little about maple wood, the characteristics of the tree and the areas where it grows, its main uses and other useful information.

Maple, sycamore, palindrome

are the names under which you find the same species, namely Acer Platanoides. The Latin name is the safest way to look up information about any species of wood so there is no confusion. This is the advice I received some time ago from Mr Grigore Mitrea, a reader of our magazine, for which I thank him once again. It was very useful and we were thus able to avoid a lot of confusion.

If you want information about maple from the English literature you can find it under the name "norway maple". Searching for maple in English will lead you to similar maple species that are not specific to our country, species from the USA or Canada, or to paltin.

Growing area and tree characteristics

Acer Platanoides can be found in most of Europe and eastern Asia. It is widespread from eastern France to Russia, throughout the Scandinavian peninsula and from southern to northern Iran. In the 18th century it was also brought to the USA. The rich crown was highly prized for its rich shade. Being a fairly fast growing and shallow rooted species it was considered invasive (as it is considered in our acacia). In the mid-20th century it was a very good substitute for the elm, afflicted at the time with a specific disease.

The maple grows up to 25-30 m tall and reaches diameters of 1-1.5 m. It has characteristic shiny leaves, split into 5 long, sharp lobes. The leaf has become the symbol of Canada as the one we see on the flag.

Here it grows on the plains and in the hills reaching up to 1000 m altitude. It grows rapidly when young, but the rate decreases with age. If left, it can live up to 200 years. It is a frost- and drought-resistant, decorative tree, much used as a forest canopy for shade or on roadsides or in parks.

It is also called "the tree of a thousand virtues" and is used in folk medicine in various conditions such as diabetes (the sap is made into a syrup that can be used as a sweetener), as an anti-inflammatory or anticoagulant.

Characteristics of maple wood

Unlike most hardwood species, maple is mainly used for sapwood. In cross-section through the tree the sapwood is located on the outside and ranges in colour from almost white to light golden or light reddish brown. The heartwood is inwards and dark reddish brown in colour.

The pores are visible, of medium size and evenly distributed in the annual ring. Annual rings are also visible and well defined. The fibre is straight, with a fine and uniform structure and a pleasant gloss. The wood at the bottom of the trunk may have wavy grain. Another 'defect' can be the sweeping grain, with small, dense knots.

It is a wood with an average density between 560 and 650 kg/m³. It is not very resistant to rotting and is therefore not recommended for outdoor use. It blackens easily in the presence of moisture. It has no smell, but working with it for long periods can cause irritation, allergies or respiratory problems.

Processing

Maple wood is easily worked both by hand and by mechanical means. However, it must be worked carefully with machines because it tends to burn when the rotational speed of the tools is very high.

It is very well processed by turning and is a very good material for making bowls, vases or other decorative objects obtained on the lathe.

But it must be cut with care because it tends to crack and warp. Care should be taken when using nails and screws for joints because wood can easily crack.

Glues and finishes well with no incompatibilities. However, it is possible to stain when staining and it is therefore recommended to use insulators before application. staining solutions.

Uses of maple wood

It is used to obtain furnishingspaper, decorative boxesfurniture, musical instruments or floors.

For furniture it is used more by craftsmen, by those carpenters who manage to make a special piece of furniture out of a piece of wood. In factories it is not used much because of its tendency to crack during assembly.

The beautiful fiber makes it a very good choice for decorative wooden boxes, bowls, platters and cutlery used in the kitchen, or other decorative items. The oil finish brings out the beauty and finesse of the fibre.

Dried maple wood is hard-wearing, which is why it is used for flooring and even bowling lanes.

It is also good as firewood, being easily split and having a medium calorific value.

The wood of violins

One of the uses that highlight its special structure is in the manufacture of musical instruments. Maple is a resonance wood and is used to make the back of violins, violas and other such stringed instruments. The wood used is from the bottom of the trunks of trees over 100 years old.

Many Stradivarius and other famous violins are believed to be made of maple wood. In Europe, the best sounding wood is found in the forests of Tyrol, northern former Yugoslavia or Switzerland. This is apparently where the famous Gagliano violins were made. Alessandro Gagliano, the head of the Gagliano family and the founder of the Neapolitan school of violin makers, was a pupil of Niccolo Amati and Antonio Stradivari in Cremona. He then returned home to Naples and founded the school of lutists. On the labels of his products was always written, in addition to the year of manufacture: Alexandri (or Alessandro) Gagliano, alumnus Antonio Stradivarius - Alessandro Galiano, pupil of Antonio Stradivari.

But here is a more nuanced discussion. Wikipedia if other sources say that the maple wood in the above areas is Acer platanoides. There are however manufacturers of musical instruments in the area or resonance wood suppliers which states that the wood is Acer pseudoplatanus, which is in fact paltin wood (mountain ash). But since I have not found any sources that state with certainty that it is maple or paltino, nor any that contradict one statement or the other, I prefer to think that those wonderful violins have backs made of maple. And their wonderful sound is also due to this discreet wood.

I hope I have come up with something new for you this time. If you find it interesting for others, you can share it. If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them in the space below.