Maple – Quilted

Cool Guitar Stuff

Quilted MapleNOTE: Click on the image for a larger version.

Maple – Quilted (Acer macrophyllum, Acer saccharinum)

Other common names: Pacific maple, bigleaf maple.

Creamy, white and straight grained. Usually less lustrous than hard rock maple and the growth rings are more indistinct, with the rays narrower and less conspicuous. Pith flecks are usually more frequent though.

The wood is a medium weight at about 550kg per cubic meter. It has medium bending and crushing strengths, with low stiffness. It dries well, but slowly, and has little degrade or problems. It is stable with only a small amount of movement in service. The wood has a moderate dulling effect on cutters and gluing results may be variable.

The figure on quilted maple is formed by the growth layers crowding and producing “elongated bulges” as the tree grows. The wood that is produced from these conditions has almost 3-dimensional effect to it due to the way that it reflects the light. This is one reason why it is so sought after by instrument makers – particularly guitar makers.

Quilted maple most often occurs in bigleaf maple which is native to the Pacific Northwest. The wood is not difficult to work but can often produce a “fuzzy” feel when machined. Moistening the wood and reducing the cutting angle can help, but the best way to produce a good finish is through progressive sanding with finer grades of grit until you achieve a satisfactory level. Once this is done then the wood can be stained and polished to an excellent finish.

Other species of wood that can produce a quilted effect include mahogany and sapele.

spalted-quilted-big-leaf-maple-book-matched-thin-lumber-luthier-wood-1470 Spalted Quilted Big Leaf Maple Book Matched Thin Lumber - Luthier Wood - 1470
US $110.00
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 16:17:07 PST
  | Watch this Item
5-thin-maple-boards-7-32-lumber-wood-crafts 5 THIN MAPLE BOARDS-7/32" -lumber/wood/crafts
US $5.24 (2 Bids)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:01:54 PST
  | Watch this Item
curly-maple-lathe-wood-turning-lumber-11-x-6-5-x-6-5 Curly Maple Lathe Wood Turning Lumber 11 x 6.5 x 6.5
US $22.95 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:36:59 PST
  | Watch this Item
quilted-maple-lathe-wood-turning-lumber-20-x-4-x-4 Quilted Maple Lathe Wood Turning Lumber 20 x 4 x 4
US $29.95 (1 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:48:39 PST
  | Watch this Item
curly-maple-lathe-wood-turning-lumber-12-5-x-4-x-4 Curly Maple Lathe Wood Turning Lumber 12.5 x 4 x 4
US $14.95 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:53:00 PST
  | Watch this Item
curly-maple-lathe-wood-turning-lumber-16-x-4-5-x-4-5 Curly Maple Lathe Wood Turning Lumber 16 x 4.5 x 4.5
US $24.95 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:56:45 PST
  | Watch this Item
stabilized-clear-curly-maple-eye-burl-pen-blanks-turning-wood-lumber-3-4-j4 Stabilized Clear Curly Maple Eye Burl Pen Blanks Turning Wood Lumber 3/4" J4
US $35.99
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 17:59:09 PST
  | Watch this Item
birdseye-maplewood-lumber-13-16-x-6-7-16-x-37-5-16- BIRDSEYE MAPLE:WOOD/LUMBER 13/16" x 6-7/16" x 37-5/16"
US $11.00 (0 Bid)
Auction Ends: Monday Feb-06-2012 18:00:22 PST
  | Watch this Item

Comments are closed.