Have you ever wondered why some trees are harder than others? This is often due to the type of wood and what region it’s grown in. If you’re considering buying a new chain for your saw, you might want to know the difference between hard maple and soft maple before making your purchase.
Hard Maple is much more durable than soft maple and will last longer because its fibers resist breaking apart as easily as those in Soft Maple wood. However, if you need a softer wood that’s easier on the teeth of your blade, then Soft Maple would be better for you.
Hard maple is a hardwood that grows in colder climates such as Canada and Russia. The sapwood will be lighter than the heartwood because sap flows faster through young trees so they have less time to develop higher density.
Soft Maple on the other hand can grow in warmer regions like Africa or America but won’t be as hard since it doesn’t need to withstand extreme cold temperatures. Maple trees are mostly Sapwood at first but gradually become Heartwood as they mature
They take about 25 years to be ready for harvest and their wood stays quite strong even after it’s been dried out. It is a very stiff, strong, and hard material that makes great furniture, paneling or flooring.
If you’re looking for thickness, hardness or durability then hard maple may be your best choice but if you want something with more color variation then soft maple would make a better fit.
Maple Wood Types
There are a lot of different types of maple wood, and each one has its own unique characteristics.
The type of wood you use can have a significant impact on the overall quality and longevity of your chainsaw.
Maple is a very common type of wood used in furniture making because it’s known for being strong and resilient. It also can be easily stained to make it look even more beautiful.
In fact, maple was the most popular choice for American furniture between 1790 and 1860 due to its affordability as well as how easy it is to work with.
Today, you’ll learn about the three main types of maple: hard rock maple, soft rock maple, and bigleaf maple.
There are many different types of oak that vary based on where they’re grown or what their appearance may be like. Oak wood can
Characteristics of Hard Maple Wood
Hard maple trees are a popular type of wood for many chainsaw owners.
The characteristics of hard maple wood make it an excellent choice for furniture, flooring, and more.
Hard maple has a coarse texture with medium to large pores which makes it resistant to staining. It is also one of the densest woods available on the market today.
The tree’s heartwood is a light brown, with the sapwood being white to cream colored. Hard maple is typically straight grained and has an interlocked grain pattern.
It can be difficult to split due to the tight growth rings, but it also resists splitting from impact or bending. This makes hard maple perfect for cutting boards or bowls because it will not warp or cup over time like other woods might do when in contact with liquids (water).
As long as you keep your chainsaw well-oiled and sharpened, this type of wood should be easy enough to cut through without much effort on your part.
With these properties, hard maple is an excellent choice for any project that requires strength and durability.
Characteristics of Soft Maple Wood
If you’re looking for wood that is easier on the teeth of your saw, soft maple may be more up your alley
Soft maple trees are also know as sugar maple or black maple. They are lighter in color than hard maples with pale yellow sapwood and almost white heartwood.
Soft maple wood is an excellent choice for chainsaw home owners. The tree grows in the eastern United States and Canada, but it can be found all over North America.
It has a variety of uses due to its strength, low cost, and availability. Soft maple wood is also easy to work with, making it perfect for chainsaw carvings or other crafts that require fine detail.
This type of wood comes from the Acer genus of maples which are natively found in North America, specifically ranging from Canada down into parts of the United States.
There are many different types within this family including red maples (Acer rubrum), silver maples (Acer saccharinum) and boxelder or ashleaf maple (Acer negundo).
Soft maples are an excellent choice for furniture due to their strength and ease of working with. It is also easy on the teeth of your chainsaw when trying to cut through it
When it comes to the characteristics of soft maple wood, this type is a little softer than hard maple, thus leading to fewer chips and tear-outs when cutting
It also doesn’t have as large of pores which means it can be stained without problems. The color ranges from a creamier white in the sapwood to a deeper yellow or brown in the heartwood.
Characteristics of Bigleaf Maple
Bigleaf maple is one of the most common types of trees in North America, ranging from British Columbia down to California.
Bigleaf maple trees are native to the Pacific coast of North America, and their wood is known for its great strength. Bigleaf maple can be used in place of hardwood like cherry or walnut in many applications, including furniture making.
The wood has a very unique coloration that ranges from very light tan to pinkish-red when freshly cut through an attractive grain pattern (which becomes more pronounced with age). The beautiful grain makes it ideal for fine furniture, musical instruments, veneers and cabinets.
Bigleaf maples also have distinctive leaves that grow up to 6 inches long with five lobes on each side; they resemble the palm leaves found throughout South East Asia. These large leaves help bigleaf maples survive drought conditions, as their leaves are more efficient at absorbing light during the hot summer days
Bigleaf maples hold up well against stress or impact damage due to their flexible fibers which allow for easy bending and breaking. This flexibility makes bigleaf maple ideal for making things like canoe paddles, fishing rods, bows and arrows.
If you are looking for a wood to make your next project with, look no further than bigleaf maple. It is easy to work with and has an amazing grain pattern that will make any furniture or home decor piece stand out.
Final Thoughts
When deciding whether to use maple wood for your next project, you should consider what you need the finished product for. If it’s a chainsaw carving or one that requires strength and durability, hard maple is probably the best choice.
However, if you’re looking for something easier on the teeth of your saw and to be stained without problems, soft maple is the way to go. Hard maple also is less flexible, which means it generally has better sturdiness and will not break as easily.
Soft maple wood can be used for a variety of purposes with its coloration ranging from almost white in the sapwood to pale yellow and tan in the heartwood. This creates an attractive appearance that is easy to work with and stain
Soft maple is perfect for anything from small crafts to large furniture pieces, making it a great choice when deciding what type of wood you want.
