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Birds-eye Maple
Birds-eye maple is a form of figured hard maple.
It mostly comes from Sugar maple, and occasionally from Silver or
Black maple. Soft maple usually doesn't form
the 'eyes' that are characteristic of Birds-eye maple. The 'eyes',
or dots, are "small localized areas in the wood with the fibers
indented to form small circular or
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Birds-eye Maple
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elliptical figures on the tangential surface. They are sometimes found
in sugar maple, but only rarely in other hardwood species." (Glossary
of Wood Terminology) The dots are believed to be starting points of
new branches that either may or may not have grown from the trunk.
Wood Characteristics - Since Birds-eye maple primarily
comes from Sugar maple, we'll discuss its properties. Sugar maple
usually grows to a height of 70 to 120 feet (21 to 37 m), with a
diameter of about 24 to 36 inches (60 to 90 cm). The sapwood is
usually whitish in color, sometimes with a reddish tint. The heartwood
is a pale reddish brown, or tan color. The grain is usually straight
with a fine texture.
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Sugar Maple
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Birds-eye maple is an excellent wood to be used in turnings. A high
polish can be achieved that gives the wood an almost translucent quality.
Care must be taken though when sanding. Because of the wood's high
density and fine color, sanding marks can be hard to cover. To achieve
a glossy, polished finish on the wood, once you are done sanding take
some wood shavings that won't mar the surface, and rub them against
the wood while the lathe is running. Make sure that the tool rest
is out of the way. The idea is to generate some heat. Some good finishes
for Birds-eye maple are clear oil and wax finishes. Both will allow
the wood's natural beauty to shine through.
Woodturns.com
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