Select Maple

Select maple is is by far our most popular wood —  it’s versatile, stable, affordable, and extremely turner-friendly.  Our select maple is a mixture of different figures, but is prodominantly lightly ambrosia figured.  When we buy soft maple often we buy either curly, spalted, ambrosia, or mineral stained lumber for its character.  While grading out the blanks we sell as Ambrosia Maple, Curly Soft Maple, or Spalted Maple we end up with blanks that don't have enough figure for us to consider them high grade.  This is where select maple comes in!  Any blanks that dont meet our figure standards are sold as select maple, but are still beautiful and defect free.  They are just sold much cheaper than the other kinds.

If you want a wood that works well, finishes clean, and gives you options, select maple is a smart choice.

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What Is Select Maple?

Simply put select maple is soft maple that contains either/or ambrosia, curly, spalted, or other kinds of light figure.  They will not be just plain white maple.

Color typically ranges from light cream sapwood to light brown or grayish heartwood, with colorful streaking or mild figure.

It’s commonly available, which makes it a dependable go-to for many woodworking projects.

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Grain, Figure & Appearance

• Generally straight grain
• Fine to medium texture
• wide ranging color variations
• Either shows curl, ambrosia streaking, or light figure

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Density & Workability

Select maple strikes a great balance.

• Stable once properly dried
• Less tool wear compared to harder species
• Predictable and forgiving

It’s strong enough for functional projects while being easier to work than many other hardwoods.

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Turning Characteristics

Select maple is very lathe-friendly.

• Cuts cleanly with sharp tools
• Easy to shape and refine
• Sands quickly and smoothly
• Minimal tear-out when grain is straight

Because it’s slightly softer than hard maple, it responds well to detail work and is great for practice or production turning.

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Finishing Select Maple

Select maple takes finish well and offers flexibility.

• Oils warm up the natural color
• Clear finishes keep it bright and clean

It’s also an excellent base for dyed or specialty finishes due to its light color.

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Common Uses

Select maple is extremely versatile.

• Woodturning bowls and spindles
• Utility pieces
• Painted projects
• Furniture components
• Carved or detailed work

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What to Expect From Each Blank

Select maple blanks vary widely in color and figure

• Heartwood usually contains some mineral stain and ambrosia figure
• Subtle curly figure may appear

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Final Thoughts

Select maple is dependable, easy to work, and versatile. It turns well, finishes clean, and adapts to a wide range of projects. Whether you’re making bowls, spindles, or painted pieces.