Maple is a popular type of hardwood that is commonly found in Asia, Europe, Northern Africa and North America. Most maple trees grow to be very tall, with a height of 50 to 100 feet. However, some species of maple are actually quite small, having many trunks originating at the ground level and resembling more of a shrub than tree instead. Regardless, this wood type has some unique properties that lend themselves well to many commercial uses.
As one of the hardest wood species, it is often used for items in high demand such as kitchen cabinets, wall décor and cutting boards. Maple wood is relatively inexpensive compared to other food-safe wood types like cherry or walnut. Its color is naturally a creamy white, sometimes with a slightly red tint to it. However, due to the efficiency of staining, maple is often stained to resemble a more expensive wood type. Following are some of the most common commercial uses for maple wood.
One of the most iconic pancake toppings, maple syrup has grown to be one of the biggest exports in the maple industry, aside from the wood itself. The Sugar Maple is a popular species of maple tree that is tapped for the extra sweet sap it produces, which is then boiled down into maple syrup, candy, butter or taffy.
Maple wood is considered to be excellent tone wood, meaning it carries sound better than other types. Naturally, this leads it to being frequently used for the creation of musical instruments. Used more frequently than people realize, the body of most violins, cellos, violas, basses and wooden or acoustic guitars are made from maple wood.
A lesser known use of a maple tree is as a source of pollen, mainly for honeybees. Due to the fact that maple trees produce pollen at an earlier time during the spring than most plants and flowers do, they become essential in the earlier stages of a honeybee’s life cycle.
The timber produced from larger maple trees is essential in the production of many different products, including a wider and more varied range than just furniture. While it can be used to create beautiful pieces of furniture, it is also used in the production of bowling pins, baseball bats, pool cue shafts and butcher’s blocks.
If you are looking for premium wood cutting boards, make sure you check out the selections available through our store. We offer both a stock collection and custom engraved wooden cutting boards made from not only maple, but cherry and walnut as well to give your kitchen variation. Get yourself motivated to get back into the kitchen this Spring with your very own a personalized maple cutting board.
