Finishing Birdseye Maple

[Larry Frank]

I found great advice here on finishing Curly Maple. I used Vintage Maple from Transtint with alcohol. I sanded to 220, stained, sanded back, restained, slandered ,stained and finished with poly.

The results were very good at bringing out the figure. I have some Birdseye Maple and wonder if this same procedure is the best for it. I am not interested in using Tung oil or BLO for this application.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Wayne Lomman]

Do a trial on a scrap or a piece you can machine into something else if you don't like it. It's the only way to be sure. Maple isn't exactly common in Tasmania so I can't offer more specific advice. If it was Birdseye Huon Pine I might be able to say a bit more... Cheers!

[Prashun Patel]

Curly maple varies in porosity with respect to the non curly areas. Dyeing and sanding causes the color to be removed from the less porous areas. This highlights the curl.

With birdseye maple, the porosity difference may not vary as much, which means the dyeing would be moot.

A critical step in the 'popping curl in maple' methods is applying the oil. You don't have to use it as a final topcoat, but it accomplishes something the dye or a waterbased topcoat will not: chatoyance. I prefer 'iridescence'. (credit to Jeff Jewitt for the following, hacked retelling of his findings): oil bends light to about the same degree as most wood cells. This means it allows light to penetrate the cells and appear 3-d more truly than most other finishes.

The dye improves the contrast of the curl; the oil makes gives it the illusion of having topography.

As I write that, it sounds like a bunch of pretentious hooey. All I can say is that I have done it, and my eyes believe it to be so. But beauty is in the eye of the BLO-holder, so YMMV.

Back to your birdseye: if it were me, I would skip the dye, but not skip the oil.

[Jim Becker]

But beauty is in the eye of the BLO-holder, so YMMV.

ROFLOL!! I love that one. Gonna have to remember it for the future...

[Larry Frank]

I am trying a couple of finishes.....dye, Danish oil, and some wipe on poly. My samples were all sanded to 220.

I am dyeing to tell you that you are wrong about the effect of a dye on the Birdseye Maple as it is not moot. The eyes are taking up more color than the surrounding wood.

[Robin Frierson]

Some people want to avoid the oil step because they think they must wait days for the oil to cure before proceeding on to the next step. And you must if you use a full coat of oil. But Years ago I read a lot of Jewitts stuff and learned he advised using only a very small amount of oil and then going directly to shellac. So now I sometimes just use a tiny amount of oil, not flood, and then go directly to shellac.
So far havent had any problems and it does help bring a shine to the figure in maple.

http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/padding-shellac/

[Stan Calow]

Larry, don't slander your wood. You can get sued for that.

[Jim Becker]

Some people want to avoid the oil step because they think they must wait days for the oil to cure before proceeding on to the next step. And you must if you use a full coat of oil. But Years ago I read a lot of Jewitts stuff and learned he advised using only a very small amount of oil and then going directly to shellac. So now I sometimes just use a tiny amount of oil, not flood, and then go directly to shellac.
So far havent had any problems and it does help bring a shine to the figure in maple.

http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/padding-shellac/

I've actually used this accelerated technique with great success...all steps finished in one single day...dye, oil, shellac and water borne top coats, this piece in particular:

[Larry Frank]

Ok....enough with word play...and back on topic

Anyone have actual experience to share on Birdseye Maple

[Brian W Smith]

Unless I missed it....

WB poly?

Spray or brush?

Intended use?

The Maple we use in our hot rod recurves/longbows get cleared (sprayed) with very slight tint epoxy.BUT,these are occasionally dropped in creeks and rivers,not to mention complete downpour rain.It's the only finish that's stood up to that and the flex of the limbs.We can spray any thickness,and any level of sheen to include a pebble grain.Good luck with your project.

[Dale Murray]

The Wood Whisperer did a little tutorial on figure in maple.

I tried it, it works.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/vide...oes-the-maple/

[Larry Frank]

As mentioned in my starting post, I used a similar technique on curly maple and works great. The point of this post is Birdseye Maple and best way to finish it and is it different than Curly Maple.