Bigleaf maple

Overview

Bigleaf maple is the western soft maple: the tree has the largest leaves of any maple, and the wood is a pale, fine-grained timber that is virtually the only commercial maple on the United States west coast. Plain boards look like other soft maples. It is best known for occasional quilted figure, which makes it a prized instrument and veneer wood.

Pros

• Easy to work; Wood Database calls maple fairly easy with hand and machine tools, and it turns, glues and finishes well.
• Light (about 545 kg/m3) and moderately soft (850 lbf), so it is pleasant to carve and plane.
• Plain boards are inexpensive by hardwood standards, while quilted figure gives a dramatic, three-dimensional look.
• Locally grown for Pacific-coast builders, where Wood Database says it is virtually the only commercial maple.

Cons

• Rated non-durable to perishable. Not for outdoor or damp use.
• Softer and weaker than Hard maple, so it dents and wears faster.
• Burns under high-speed cutters and blotches under stain.
• Plain boards can be hard to find outside the Pacific Northwest, and quilted stock is sold by the piece at a premium.

Variants and subspecies

• Plain bigleaf maple: near-white sapwood is the usual lumber, with darker reddish-brown heartwood.
• Quilted bigleaf maple: Wood Database says the species is known for occasional quilted grain; curly figure also occurs. Quilted stock is sold graded by figure and by the piece.
• Soft-maple grouping: Wood Database places it with the soft maples, lighter, softer and weaker than hard maple. Eastern equivalents are covered in Soft maple.

Working and finishing

Plain boards machine easily; keep tools sharp and the feed steady because maple can burn, particularly under router cutters. Figured, wavy grain is prone to tear-out, so keep plane irons sharp and take light cuts or scrape. Turns, glues and finishes well. The fine texture sands to a satin surface.

Staining and finishing colour

Stains blotchy, as hard maple does: Wood Database recommends a pre-conditioner, gel stain or toner for an even colour. Quilted pieces are normally finished clear so that the figure shows; a dye wash is the usual way to add colour without blotching.

Sustainability and handling

Wood Database says bigleaf maple is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List; Wikipedia's taxobox shows Least Concern (checked 2026-09-30). Wood Database also reports that maples in the Acer genus have been reported to cause skin irritation, runny nose and asthma-like respiratory effects. The US National Cancer Institute reports strong associations between wood dust and cancers of the nose and sinuses, so use dust extraction and a respirator. Timber from the US is covered by the Lacey Act; ask the mill where the log came from.

Popular projects

Wood Database lists veneer, boxes, musical instruments, turned objects and small specialty items. Figured stock suits instrument backs and drawer fronts; plain stock suits painted furniture, shelving and interior parts.

Buying notes

Look at west-coast hardwood dealers and small sawmills, and for slabs and figured billets from urban-tree sawyers. Plain 4/4 boards are priced like other soft maple; figured wood is priced by the piece. We found no current published price for plain bigleaf, so the range shown is a labelled proxy. Eastern Soft maple is the practical substitute for plain work, but it does not quilt as readily.