Early American settlers used maple ashes to make soap and Native Americans crafted their spears from maple. Until the turn of the century, the heels of women's shoes were made from maple. Maple has been a favourite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days. It is the standard wood for cutting boards because it imparts no taste to food and holds up well.

The well-known sugar maples get the name because they are the source of maple sugar and syrup. A single sugar maple tree can produce up to 12 gallons of sap a year. Some 35-40 gallons of sap will produce one gallon of pure syrup.

General Description

Maple sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood has a close, fine, uniform texture and is generally straight-grained, but it can also occur as 'curly', 'fiddleback' and 'birdseye' figure. Typical uses for maple over the years have included piano actions, turnery, musical instruments, sports goods, bowling alleys, dairy and laundry equipment, veneer and plywood.

The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties. It has a particularly high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also has good steam-bending properties.