CURLY MAPLE

• Common Name: Maple
• Scientific Name: Acer Saccharinum
• Family: Aceraceae
• Origin: North America

Curly Maple is not a wood species: it indicates a famous grain variation of the Maple heartwood that happens on an unpredictable basis in all Maple species. Anyway, the phenomenon happens rarely, only 1 in 25 logs. The name “curly” derives from the wood pattern which creates a three-dimensional effect representing the grain getting “curled” along the length of the log. The origin of this pattern is still uncertain, but one of the most valuable hypotheses relates to a distortion of the wood fibers during the growth process, consequently producing different types of figures with a wave-like effect. These remain independent from the wood grain itself. There are about six official figures of Curly Maple: flame, tiger stripe, ribbon curl, pin stripe and fiddleback.

The wave-like effect of the wood can be enhanced through the proper cutting process: a quartersawn is the most efficient tool for processing maple lumber, while using a simple flatsawn could damage the pattern. Moreover, the real beauty of a great Curly Maple veneer can be seen without any special finish. A penetrating oil finish is usually enough to bring out the chatoyance though some prefer to use a dye stain to further enhance the grain.