estebanana -> RE: Maple back and sides? (Mar. 13 2013 18:41:15)
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My next annoying question was about the types of maple... flamed vs tiger stripe vs curly etc, are they just different ways the same wood There are several species of maple most could make good musical instruments if large enough lumber could be cut from a tree. The main distinctions are the Maples from Europe from areas such as the Balkans and the Maples from the New World, an example would be Big Leaf Maple. The different grain and figures revealed in lumber are a result of how the wood was cut whether on the slab, on the quarter, rift sawn etc. Consult Wiki for a diagram of how the different cuts are rendered from a tree section. Maybe search on 'Maple lumber figure' or 'violin wood figure' something like that. It's a big subject really and you could read up in general on how wood is processed for instruments and learn a great deal. Instrument makers have to have a working knowledge of these concepts, but it is a lot of time spent away from the bench to have to explain what can be learned by anyone who will read a good book on wood science and lumber technology. The two main kinds of Maple used in guitar making are the ones I mentioned, Big Leaf and what is called European Maple, don't bother me for the Linnean names, look them up. There is a third Maple that is called 'English Sycamore', it is often used as well. Here is how they basically stack up: Big Leaf Maple is typically a bit more dense and heavier than Euro Maple, and English Sycamore is generally the lightest in both color and weight. All these Maples when properly cut can render the flame figure that is so coveted. That said the Maples are generally stable, easy to bend woods that make excellent instruments even if they exhibit very little figure. There are many species of Maple that range from small ornamental species, bonsai sized, which seldom if ever grow large enough to make an instrument grade wood to rather large robust Maples like the Big Leaf Maples. When all else fails ask a Canadian about maples. They are experts at Maple identification. They just produced a new Canadian bill with the wrong species of Maple depicted instead of the species which is the national symbol. It has something to do with how many points the leaf has. It's a syrupy subject.
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