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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Boring Certified Source Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Distribution Overview Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Acer macrophyllum Trade Name Bigleaf maple Family Name Aceraceae Common Names Bigleaf maple, Broadleaf maple, Maple, Oregon maple, Pacific Coast maple, Western Maple Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United States Common Uses Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Framing, Furniture , Interior construction, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Office furniture, Pallets, Paneling , Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Tables , Utility furniture, Veneer, Wainscotting, Wardrobes Environmental Profile Abundant/Secure Rare Widespread May be rare in some parts of its range Globally secure Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Distribution Overview Bigleaf maple occurs in the Pacific Coast region from just south of the Alaska Panhandle in British Columbia south through the western portions of Washington and Oregon to southern California. It is generally restricted to the west side of the Sierra Nevada-Cascade crest. Bigleaf maple's northern distribution is apparently restricted by coldtemperatures. Its southern and interior distribution seems restricted by insufficient moisture and humidity. At the southern end of its range, bigleaf maple is usually restricted to canyons or riparian habitats. Heartwood Color Brown Pink Pinkish brown Sapwood Color White Color not distinct from heartwood Reddish-White with a grayish cast Grain Even Closed Wavy Straight Straight May be wavy or curly Texture Coarse Medium Medium to coarse Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Very little natural resistance Should not be used under high decay hazard conditions Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules 8 - D4 (4/4); T8 - D3 (8/4) US Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Easy Tree Size Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 20-30 m Boles are well-formed and clear to about 50 to 70 percent of the total height of the tree Product Sources Bigleaf maple is the only commercial maple in British Columbia, Canada. Certified Source Certified Source Boring Very good to excellent results Fairly easy to very easy Excellent results Gluing Carefully Controlled Conditions Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Satisfactory gluing properties Very high bond strength Mortising Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good mortising properties Expected percent of mortised pieces providing fair to excellent results = 80 Moulding Fair to Good Results Fair moulding results (50+ % of pieces will yield good to excellent results) Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Medium Nailing Fair to Good Results Holds nails well Good resistance to splitting while nailing Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Difficult to plane Expected number of perfectly planed pieces out of one hundred = 52 Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Heartwood is extremely resistant to preservative treatment Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair sanding qualities Screwing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good screw holding properties Turning Fair to Good Results Good results Veneering Qualities Veneers easily Suitable for slicing Can sometimes be sliced into highly decorative veneers for paneling Blister-Like structures formed under the bark of Bigleaf maple give quilted patterns in veneer produced from this species. The name, Quilted maple, is derived from these structures Steam Bending Fair to Good Results Moderate Polishing Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy High resistance to fuzzing Excellent results Staining Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Stains well Strength Properties Weight= medium Resists denting and marring Hardness = medium Compression strength (parallel to grain) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 7252 10486 psi Crushing Strength 441 735 psi Hardness 833 lbs Impact Strength 23 27 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3175 5831 psi Shearing Strength 1695 psi Stiffness 1078 1421 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 9 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.37 0.36 Weight 32 26. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 7 % Volumetric Shrinkage 11 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 509 737 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 31 51 kg/cm2 Hardness 377 kg Impact Strength 58 68 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 223 409 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 119 kg/cm2 Stiffness 75 99 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.63 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.37 0.36 Weight 512 416. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 7 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. California Department of Forestry. Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods. Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California. n/d. Canadian Forestry Service. 1981. Canadian Woods - Their Properties and Uses. Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors. Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Niemiec, S.S., G.A. Ahrens, S. Willits, and D.E. Hibbs. March, 1995. Hardwoods of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University, College of Forestry, Research Contribution 8, Forest Research Laboratory, Department of Forest Products, Corvallis, Oregon. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook:Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.