I have been working with tiger (fiddleback) maple on a project over the past year and have found it to be a real struggle. By the way, it is sugar maple, not silver maple. THe problem seems to be a lack of dimensional stability. THe question is: Is this problem with my specific batch, or is it a problem with all curly sugar maple?
All the wood is from the bole of one tree and was kiln dried 2-3 years ago in 8/4 (approx) planks. When I re-saw it it warps or twists. If I dimension stock true from those pieces, they seem to not be able to hold dimensions, and may warp or twist all over again. THe grain is un-believably beautiful, so I want to try to make it work. The piece I am using it for is a slant front secretary.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Hans
Replies
I think this is indiginous to the figured woods, but others here would know this better. From the sounds of the project, it is a ways along. Were it not, you might use this for veneer since you can resaw it seems. Good luck. Same thing is happening to me with some 8/4 white oak, which I think was case hardened in the kiln. All I could get was two 5/8" runs out of a full 8/4 in the rough. Very disappointing, and not something I would have expected in white oak. It is tangentially cut since I needed more width than quarter sawn would give me, at least from my usual mill. It is a dovetailed, solid carcase, which I suspect yours is as well, and finally I just got it joined up as fast as possible to hold the wood flat, which seems to be working. Cross my fingers.
Thanks for the opinion. My strategy is the same: get in joined up ASAP. It also may have been improperly dried in the kiln.
Hans
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