Silver Maple -- any good??

[Jason White]

I have a friend with a portable sawmill and my neighbor has a giant Silver Maple tree that has been a real pain in my rear for several years.

I'm thinking about offering to cut it down for him and have my buddy cut it up into boards so I can build a bunch of stuff with it. My question, however, is how is this type of maple to work with? Also, is this type of maple considered "soft" or "hard?"

Jason

[Julian Nicks]

Silver maple is great to work with. To call it soft is a misnomer. It is very hard, and prone to burning just like rock maple is.

[Jason White]

Could I build kitchen cabinets with it?

How does it take finish?



Silver maple is great to work with. To call it soft is a misnomer. It is very hard, and prone to burning just like rock maple is.

[Jeff Willard]

The only maples that are considered "hard" maple are sugar and black. But as Julian stated, it won't be anything that you will consider to be soft. I'd go for it, if you have an efficient way of milling it. You may be lucky and find that it's full of curl or has significant beetle damage. Almost all of the maple that I've scavenged or rescued had one or both, to some degree. Just remember that backyard trees tend to react differently than the forest-run varieties. They sometimes move in directions that you might not expect, and maples aren't known to be the most stable of woods to begin with. An experienced sawyer might be able to offer more insight and some advice regarding this.

BTW, got a lathe?

[Stephen Edwards]

Another potential problem to consider with yard trees are hidden nails, bolts, fence wire, etc. Look for any signs of those objects in the tree. You don't want to have to buy a new blade for your buddy's portable mill.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, but there may be metal in the tree that has been completely covered and hidden with time. I've seen it myself when cutting down old trees in yards.

[Mark P. Brown]

Years ago I cut an old tree from a farm yard. It had a crotch about ten feet up. when I blocked it out for fire wood I ran into a problem jus below the crotch, I dropped down a few inches and the tree cut fine. When I split the blocks I found an old wire bale pint jar and some change. If you decide to cut the tree buy, rent, or barrow a real good metal detctor and scan the tree. Even if it means cutting a block out of the wood and getting shorter lumber it is worth the trouble.
Mark

[scott spencer]

Could I build kitchen cabinets with it?

How does it take finish?

You can definitely build cabinets from it. Maple tends to blotch a little with stain more than some, so you need to use a conditioner of some sort to even it out. It takes clear finish nicely.

[Jeff Willard]

Another potential problem to consider with yard trees are hidden nails, bolts, fence wire, etc.

I turned a rather large (4" dia., 8" height) box out of desert ironwood a couple of years ago. In the center of it I turned through what I'm sure was an old lead bullet. It was harder than the ironwood (but not much), but not too hard to cut. Unfortunately, there just wasn't any digging possible with that material. Left me wondering what sort of tale that bullet could tell.