How can you tell a birds eye maple

Instead of the regular vertical and more linear grain of maple, birdseye has a rounded, randomly swirling grain that is dotted with dark amber, brown or nearly black spots. These dark spots are small, randomly spaced and roughly the size of a bird’s eye, hence the name.

What does birdseye maple wood look like?

Bird’s eye is a type of figure that occurs within several kinds of wood, most notably in hard maple. It has a distinctive pattern that resembles tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of grain. It is somewhat reminiscent of a burl, but it is quite different: the small knots that make the burl are missing.

What is birdseye maple wood?

Birdseye maple, one of the rarest kinds of wood on the planet, has a distinctive pattern that looks like tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of grain. Birds-eye maple is a form of figured hard maple, it is not a variety or species of maple. … Birdseye maple has a medium density and variable color.

What is birdseye maple worth?

The average selling price of a bird’s-eye maple log is in the range of $20,000 to $30,000 per 1,000 board feet. To put this in perspective, one double bottom truck fully loaded with the highest quality maple bird’s-eye logs would be worth in excess of $700,000.

Is birdseye maple extinct?

Bird’s eye maple is a specific type of extinction exhibited by micas, especially muscovite under cross polarized light. It gives the mineral a pebbly appearance as it passes into extinction.

Is birdseye maple rare?

Birdseye Maple has a rare characteristic found in hard maple trees. Only about one percent of all Maple trees contain the Birdseye Maple figure.

Is birdseye maple hard?

Birdseye Maple Avg Dry Wgt (?): 45 lbs/ft3 (720 kg/m3) | Janka Hardness (?): 1450lbf (6450 N) | Specific Gravity (?): 0.72.

Is birdseye maple Quartersawn?

Birds Eye Maple Wood Grain They are visible but obscured in the quartersawn direction. It’s similar to looking at the front of a coin as opposed to its edge. To maximize Birdseye figure, maple logs should be cut flatsawn or plainsawn.

How do I identify a tiger maple tree?

Look at the exterior of the tree. It should be a mature tree, since young trees do not exhibit signs of the unusual grain. The bark on a curly maple will be slightly bumpier than a regular sugar maple. It is generally gray to dark brown and quite thick.

What is tiger maple wood?

Flame maple (tiger maple), also known as flamed maple, curly maple, ripple maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as “flames”.

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What is wormy maple?

Wormy Maple (sometimes called “Ambrosia Maple”) is a grade of Soft Maple, specifically selected and sorted to show mineral streaks and color variations caused by the Ambrosia beetle. The beetle infests the live Maple tree, depositing larvae that bore small “worm holes” and discolor the wood. No two boards are alike.

What causes tiger maple?

Curly Maple Tabletop by Dave Hurwitz In curly maple, the grain is wavy through the length of the board. The result is that when the wavy grain is planed flat, it appears to look ruffled, or tiger striped, due to the waviness in the grain.”

What does quilted maple look like?

Quilt or quilted maple refers to a type of figure in maple wood. It is seen on the tangential plane (flat-sawn) and looks like a wavy “quilted” pattern, often similar to ripples on water. … It is a distortion of the grain pattern itself.

What is the difference between curly maple and tiger maple?

Origin of Wood TypeEastern U.S.Lumber GradesFAS through 2 commonOther Trade NamesCurly Soft Maple, Curly Maple, Tiger Maple

What is the difference between quilted maple and curly maple?

Curly maple figuring is similar to quilted maple, but curl is a primarily horizontal pattern perpendicular to the wood grain. Unlike quilted maple, curly maple is most pronounced when the board is quartersawn, and the curls usually become much less pronounced or absent in flatsawn sections of boards.

Why is it called birdseye maple?

Comments: Called birdseye maple (sometimes written out as bird’s eye) because the tiny knots in the grain resemble small bird’s eyes. The figure is reportedly caused by unfavorable growing conditions for the tree. … Being tiny knots, the birdseye figure is most noticeable and pronounced on flatsawn pieces of lumber.

What is Birdseye texture?

Bird’s eye is a cotton fabric made on a dobby loom, which results in a small, repetitive woven pattern that resembles diamonds, or more commonly thought, the eye of a bird.

What is an eyed Burl?

The more valuable burl is called an “eyed burl,” or a basal burl, and it is really a tumor on the tree. An eyed burl can usually be identified by the round or dome-like shape it makes on the outside of the tree.

What is Birdseye Huon pine?

Huon pine has a rich golden texture, and an exquisite smell and touch. A unique quality of huon pine is the unusual figuring that sometimes occurs, giving the impression of bird’s eyes on the surface of the wood. When this occurs, which is rare, it is called birds eye huon pine, making it extremely valuable.

How much is maple per Boardfoot?

Board-Feet< 10100 – 4995/4 Hard Maple (Sel & Btr, #1 & 2 White, S2S to 1-3/16)$8.50$6.408/4 Hard Maple (1 Com, #1 & 2 White, Rough)$5.50$4.158/4 Hard Maple (Sel & Btr, #1 & 2 White, Rough)$8.90$6.70

What can you do with bird eyes maple?

Uses of Birdseye Maple Birdseye maple is used to make millwork wood, furniture wood, turning wood, flooring wood, and guitar wood (Acoustic & Electric).

What is quilted maple top on a guitar?

A popular choice on electric guitars, quilted maple is undoubtedly one of the prettiest looking wood tops in the world. The figuring of the wood gives an instrument a unique style – and one that is impossible to copy. It is made simply by cutting the maple to shape, as it is a distortion of the grain pattern.

What is ambrosia maple?

Ambrosia maple is a type that’s displays a patchwork pattern of stunning gray streaks infused with maple’s usual clear white color and plain grain. It’s an astonishing effect provided by beetles and the wood gives you a whole new outlet of creativity.

What is quilted maple worth?

Is Quilted Maple Expensive? Yes, highly figured quilt maple is expensive. Additionally, the cost is similar to highly figured birdseye sugar maple lumber. Specifically,as of December 2020, prices range from $3 per board foot for lightly quilted maple to $150 per board foot for extremely dense quilt figure.

Is curly maple hard maple?

Curly Hard Maple is traditional hard maple (sugar maple, rock maple) with curly figure. … Curly Hard Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days.

How expensive is tiger maple wood?

At the retail level, expect to pay about $5/bf for 4/4 soft tiger maple and $6/bf for 4/4 hard tiger maple. Prices start to soar with thicker, wide and highly figured stock.

What is a birdseye maple neck?

Birdseye maple is a cut of wood from one of several types of hard maple, most commonly Acer Saccharum. The only real difference between birdseye and regular hard maple is the figure, which doesn’t really do anything to the tone of the wood. It’s still as bright as any other type of maple.

Are quarter sawn necks better?

Quartersawn instrument necks are unusually strong, straight-grain necks superior to standard necks in almost every way. … Quartersawn wood is less susceptible to wear, shrinking, swelling in width, twisting, warping and splitting. It also provides a better paint surface—all highly desirable qualities in a guitar neck.

What does a tiger eye maple look like?

The exotic look of tiger maple wood is a favorite for high-end custom furniture. The colors in Tiger Maple is the same as any maple wood. Maple’s sapwood is creamy white to reddish brown and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. It has a close, fine uniform texture.

Is tiger maple hard or soft maple?

Tiger maple is an exotic hardwood with a distinctive wavy or curly pattern that can resemble tiger stripes. Also known as curly maple or flame maple, tiger maple’s durability and its array of patterns make the wood a popular with woodworkers who want to design a unique, decorative piece of furniture.