The wood of silver maple is fairly hard, even texture, rather brittle, and easily worked; it is used for furniture, cabinetry, paneling, flooring, woodturning, veneer, musical instruments, boxes and crates, tool handles, wagons, carts, and rails. Click to see full answer. Then, does silver maple make good lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is a type of wood that has been processed into beams and planks, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for structural purposes but has many other uses as well.
Is silver maple good firewood?
Silver maple is not considered to be the greatest firewood for the coldest months, but many consider it good for burning during cool months. It is not as good at producing heat as some of your harder woods like oak, beech, and ash. It is does, however, burn slower than soft woods and produces a medium heat of about 19.5 million BTU's per cord.
Is silver maple a hard or soft maple?
Silver maple is soft compared to sugar (hard) maple, but that isn't saying much. Compared to sugar (hard) maple, cherry and walnut are softwoods too. But, cherry and walnut are great woods and the fact that they are not rock hard makes them even better.
Is Maple a great wood to use for a mallet?
Maple is a good choice, Hard maple being best but “soft” maple is okay, a bit softer than sugar maple. Often old mallets were made of burled hardwoods that were very resistant to splitting and chipping. Hickory would be fine, so would white oak. I have a hard maple mallet I made years ago that works fine. the Handle is also maple.
What is maple wood good for?
Maple wood is commonly used in high-end furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and kitchen accessories. Because of its durability and strength, maple can be found used as flooring in bowling alleys and for bowling pins. It was also once a popular choice for wood baseball bats before being largely replaced by Ash, which is equally as strong but more ...
What can you do with silver maple wood?
Common Uses: Veneer, paper (pulpwood), boxes, crates/pallets, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small specialty wood items. Comments: Silver maple is so called because of the pale silvery undersides of its leaves (shown below).
Does silver maple make good lumber?
This hardwood is the best type of maple for flooring due to the unique characteristics of this wood species. Characteristics that make Acer saccharum perfect for MFMA flooring include fine and uniform texture, straight grain, resistance to shock, hardness and strength, resistance to dents and scratches, and stiffness.
Is silver maple worth anything?
Pricing/Availability: Should be very moderately priced, though figured pieces such as curly or quilted grain patterns are likely to be much more expensive.Nov 11, 2019
Is silver maple wood good for cutting boards?
Easily available: Maple trees are commonly found in all parts of the world with over a hundred species of maple trees some of which are sugar maple, red maple, Japanese maple, silver maple e.g. Sanitary nature: Maple is considered to be one of the most clean and sanitary suitable wood for kitchen boards.Jan 4, 2019
What does silver maple look like?
Features 3–6" leaves with 5 lobes separated by notably deep, narrow sinuses. Green on top and silvery underneath through spring and summer, they turn a pale yellow in the fall. Produces red, yellow and silver clusters of small flowers in early spring. Yields pairs of winged seed over 3" long that ripen in late spring.
Is silver maple hard maple?
Silver maple is soft compared to sugar (hard) maple, but that isn't saying much. Compared to sugar (hard) maple, cherry and walnut are softwoods too. But, cherry and walnut are great woods and the fact that they are not rock hard makes them even better.Apr 30, 2013
What is the difference between a sugar maple and a silver maple?
Sugar Maple Leaves The leaf margin is serrated. Silver maple leaves turn a pale yellow in the fall. Sugar maple leaves are segmented into 5 lobes, dark green color on the outside, and a lighter green on the underside. The lower lobes are much smaller than the upper.Dec 20, 2021
How long do silver maples live?
The average silver maple lifespan can be over 130 years, but most only live to 35 years at maximum in an urban setting. The silver maple leaf has five points, like other maple species. However, these leaves are so pointed you would almost call them jagged.Sep 15, 2020
Can silver maple be used for furniture?
The wood of silver maple is fairly hard, even texture, rather brittle, and easily worked; it is used for furniture, cabinetry, paneling, flooring, woodturning, veneer, musical instruments, boxes and crates, tool handles, wagons, carts, and rails.May 28, 2020
Is Silver Maple good for floors?
Silver maple is known for being durable and easy to work which is why it is so popular and has so many uses. The fact that these solid hardwood floors are so durable makes them a fantastic investment.
Why is silver maple called silver maple?
Comments: Silver maple is so called because of the pale silvery undersides of its leaves ( shown below ). It is readily distinguished from sugar maple (i.e., hard maple) as the leaves of silver maple have deep notches between the lobes, whereas sugar maple’s leaves have shallower notches.
What is the difference between sapwood and heartwood?
Sapwood color ranges from almost white, to a light golden or reddish brown, while the heartwood is a darker reddish brown. Silver Maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns. Grain/Texture: Grain is generally straight, but may be wavy. Has a fine, even texture.
Does silver maple have a odor?
Odor: No characteristic odor. Allergies/Toxicity: Silver maple, along with other maples in the Acer genus have been reported to cause skin irritation, runny nose, and asthma-like respiratory effects. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Is silver maple harder than hard maple?
Silver maple is considered to be in the grouping of soft maples, and its wood is lighter, softer, and weaker than that of hard maple. For more information, please see the article on the Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Images: Drag the slider up/down to toggle between raw and finished wood.
Is silver maple a parenchyma?
Lookalikes/Substitutes: Silver maple is more or less indistinguishable from other soft maples such as red maple (Acer rubrum), however, it can usually be separated from hard maple (A. saccharum) not only on the basis of weight, but also ray width.
Shoulder wood
Many people refer to silver maple as a good shoulder wood. Now, if you're like me, you may be asking what is shoulder wood. I did a little digging around and came to this conclusion about shoulder wood. Shoulder wood is wood you burn when it is cool outside, but not cold. Some people also like to differentiate between day burning and night burning.
Splitting silver maple
Silver maple splits fairly easy when it is from smaller parts of the tree. It is said by some to be a fun wood to chop. It doesn't require a lot of effort to split and makes a confetti of white as the wood chips disperse on each strike.
Burning silver maple
Properly seasoned silver maple will burn well. It doesn't burn as slow as oak, but it isn't a fast burning wood either. A stove or fireplace loaded up with silver maple can burn for 8 hours.
Should you remove bark from silver maple
Removing bark from silver maple before storing and burning is a good idea. The bark has a lot of crevices that will allow bugs to nest in it. This is not a big issue if you keep the wood away from your home, but can be a source of trouble if you have the wood on your back patio near or against your house.
Is silver maple good firewood for a fire pit?
Silver maple is good firewood for a fire pit for a few reasons. It doesn't take long to get started burning. It also burns fairly hot, so it will put out a good heat, even on a cold night outside. Finally, its burn time is moderate, so it is ideal for burning in a fire for a few hours.
Conclusion
Silver maple is a good firewood to burn in your fireplace, fire pit, wood stove, or in a campfire. It is harder than many types of wood, but it is not as hard as others, like oak. It produces a moderate amount of heat. It produces a nice heat for the cooler months. It can keep you warm during the coldest months.
How long does a silver maple tree live?
Growth is rapid in both pure and mixed stands, and the tree may live 130 years or more. The tree is useful in wet areas, transplants easily and can grow where few others can. It should be saved for planting in wet areas or where nothing else will thrive. Silver maple is cut and sold with red maple (A. rubrum) as soft maple lumber.
What kind of soil does silver maple grow in?
"Silver Maple will grow in areas which have standing water for several weeks at a time. It grows best on acid soil which remains moist, but adapts to very dry, alkaline soil.
What causes red spots on maple leaves?
The crimson erineum mite is usually found on silver maple and causes the formation of red fuzzy patches on the lower leaf surfaces. The problem is not serious so control measures are not suggested. Aphids infest maples, usually Norway Maple, and may be numerous at times. High populations can cause leaf drop.
What is the gall mite on silver maple?
The galls are small but can be so numerous that individual leaves curl up. The most common gall is bladder gall mite found on silver maple.
Why does a silver maple leaf have a gall?
A leaf on a Silver Maple tree with Maple Bladder Gall which is caused by Eriophyid mites. skhoward/Getty Images. Trees are an essential part of the food chain for some insects and tree pests. And, just like most living creatures on planet Earth, trees are prone to diseases . Insects.
What is the name of the tree that grows in Alabama?
Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. The silver maple is one of America's favorite shade trees. It's planted all over the eastern United States.
Where do silver maples grow?
It's is a medium-sized tree of short bole and quickly branching crown. Its natural habitat is along stream banks, floodplains, and lake edges where it grows best on better-drained, moist alluvial soils. Growth is rapid in both pure and mixed stands, and the tree may live 130 years or more. The tree is useful in wet areas, transplants easily and can grow where few others can. It should be saved for planting in wet areas or where nothing else will thrive. Silver maple is cut and sold with red maple (A. rubrum) as soft maple lumber. It's also often used as a shade tree for landscapes.
