In line with cherry, walnut, and oak, maple is considered the best hardwoods that are being used in crafting furniture. Generally, woodworking with maple turns out to be amazing if you are in search of something that is both stunning and durable.
Do not get over excited yet as maple has certain demerits too. Maple is also known to have some issues in regards to finishing as it is quite vulnerable to shrinking. To avoid encountering this problem, be certain that the wood you are using is well-seasoned and properly acclimated to the environment as it is going to make a big difference on how well your maple interior doors project looks and lasts.
Different Varieties Available
If you are getting the lumber for a supplier, you will get to know several different makes for it like red maple, bird’s eye maple, soft maple, and hard maple, etc.
To sort out the confusion here, the red and soft maple options are exactly the same things. Surprisingly, soft maple is the harder one compared to some other types of hardwood. It has another name as tiger maple, or even curly maple because they have tiger-like and curly stripes respectively.
Hard maple, however, has smaller knots which you get to see along the wood’s grain. Because of the ‘outlook’ it has, the wood is also called as the bird’s eye maple. If you have also heard the name of ‘fiddleback maple’, it is mainly because the wood has been mainly considered in making musical instruments such as guitars and fiddles too.
Crafting With Maple
Something you need to know here is that the elegance of nicely designed maple furniture comes from choosing perfectly matched boards. There’s a lot more care involved to ensure that the maple’s colors, grains, and patterns rightly match along with other board. If you are considering buying thicker maple stock to match well with the boards, it can be gradually cut with a band saw. In doing this, carefully align the cut sides against one another to get accurately matched panels. This approach works well when tiger-striped maple stock is being used and when it is being used on the cabinets or drawer fronts. Walbert Windows is the best choice to consider for maple interior doors!
If you are crafting with maple, one approach you must consider here is to apply linseed oil after the final sanding and then adding 1 or 2 coats of shellac after you have applied the oil. To get a more elegant and durable outlook, place the top-coat above the shellac using polyurethane or clear lacquer.
