Birdseye Maple draws its name from the “eyes” similar to the eyes of birds that develop in the tree when it is young. It is one of the rarest forms of maple trees, as a tiny fraction of the overall maple trees. The scientific name for it is Acer Saccharum and it belongs to the Sapindaceae family.
Although it is extremely rare, it is increasing in popularity and is being used for a variety of woodwork projects. What makes this tree so rare is that its unique features and cultures cannot be replicated by humans.
It is worth mentioning it can vary greatly even amongst its own family and no two trees are alike. Some can have denser eyes, and some trees can have rose-tinted wood – while some can be cream-colored. This gives us a lot of options and different types of wood to work with.
Exotic hardwoods are a thing of beauty. At Tropical Forest Products, we only provide our customers with the best hardwood timber the world has to offer.
5 Features of Birdseye Maple
Not for nothing, such wood is a great choice for building beautiful furniture. Some of its features highly benefit a wide range of contractors’ projects. Get to know more about 5 of them.
1. Durability
It is high in density. Janka’s hardness of 700 lb/f makes it highly durable. It has a fine uniform and slight grain. Heartwood, which is a darker variant of the tree, is non-durable and is resistant to pervasive treatment. However, Sapwood, which ranges from white to golden brown, is permeable.
2. Stability
Stability comes from roasting it. Unfigured Birdseye Maple is less stable than the figured ones. This is because of the variation in density in the wood fiber.
3. Bending & Crushing Strength
The lumber has a high bending and crushing strength because of its medium stiffness. It is suitable for steam bending.
4. Workability
It glues well, and the wood is easy to work with. Because of the grains that are generally straight but could also be wavy or curly, it reduces the cutting angle. These characteristics make it ideal for furniture and craft industry Therefore, there is a need for pre-drilling before nailing and screwing. On the plus side, it takes to stain and polish satisfactorily.
5. Grain & Texture
Birdseye Maple has an even and fine texture.
Uses of Birdseye Maple
Birdseye maple is used to make millwork wood, furniture wood, turning wood, flooring wood, and guitar wood (Acoustic & Electric). Also, producers of veneers use it for making veneers.
Besides, it is widely used for making stunning and aesthetic furniture, external joinery, and heavy-duty flooring. It is great for paneling, plywood, and veneering, and excellent for turning.
Today, it has its usage in musical instruments, picture frames, kitchen cabinets, furniture, jewelry boxes, and flooring.
Are you looking for custom millwork? At Tropical Forest Products, you get it.
How expensive is it?
Birdseye maple wood’s cost depends on the grade specifications and market availability. It can also be affected by factors including eye size, eye density, NHLA Lumber Grade and face converge. As a thumb rule, high-quality furniture made of it costs 4-7 times higher than furniture made out of select white hard maple lumber.
Wide use in Furniture
Birdseye Maple is highly recommended for producing furniture with an antique look and feel due to its finish and veneer. It’s also a very popular choice of wood for making acoustic and electric guitars. It is also suited for heavy-duty flooring, laundry and dairy equipment, paneling, turning, and plywood.
TFP will get you the best quality figured and unfigured Birdseye maple that matches your imagination and aesthetic appeal.
Tropical Forest Products proudly collaborates with suppliers from Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Latin America, the USA, and Canada to get the best quality lumber at the best price. This enables TFP to deliver any quantity of lumber you need to meet your timeline. Call us today at (647) 494-8142.
