Working Properties
Soft maple machines well and can be stained and polished to an excellent finish. It glues, screws, and nails satisfactorily. It dries slowly with minimal degrade and there is little movement in performance.
Physical Properties
Soft maple is about 25% less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam bending properties.
Durability
Non-resistant to decay and insect attack. The heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment but the sapwood is permeable.
Main Uses
Furniture, panelling, interior joinery, kitchen cabinets, mouldings, doors, musical instruments, and turning. Soft maple is often used as a substitute for hard maple or stained to resemble other species such as cherry. Its physical and working properes also make it a possible substitute for beech.
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Machining
PoorGood
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Nailing
PoorGood
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Screwing
PoorGood
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gluing
PoorGood
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Finishing
PoorGood
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0.54
Specific Gravity (12% MC)
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609 kg/m3
Average weight (12% MC)
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10.5 %
Specific Volumetric Shrinkage ( Green to 6% M.C)
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11,308
Modules of elasticity
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4226
Hardness