Tag Archives: Ambrosia Maple

Wood of the Month: Ambrosia Maple (Wormy Maple)

Covered with unique patterns, Ambrosia Maple is the perfect wood for anyone who seeks one of a kind wood.

Covered with unique patterns, Ambrosia Maple is the perfect wood for anyone who seeks a one of a kind wood.

Ambrosia Maple is a highly coveted wood for many projects because of its very unique and colored patterns. A lot of people often wonder if Ambrosia Maple is a specific species of wood, or if some sort of chemicals were added to give it the interesting patterns. The truth is that Ambrosia maple isn’t a different species, its regular soft maple that has had small beetles called ambrosia beetles nesting in it which carry a certain type of fungus for food.
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Hardwood 101 – Soft Maple Lumber

Curly maple lumber

A closeup of Curly Maple in both finished and unfinished forms

Soft maple has creamy white sapwood, and light beige or tannish-brown heartwood, sometimes with a grayish-green hue. Soft maple is a fine textured, diffuse-porous wood, and its grain is normally straight and close, but it can be wavy or curly. The different grain pattern generates special figures like, ‘Curly Soft Maple’ (shown above) and ‘Ambrosia Maple.’  The figuring of Ambrosia Maple has a distinctive wormy pattern.

With a Janka hardness of 950, soft maple is actually 25% softer than hard maple. The wood of soft maple resembles that of hard maple, but it is not nearly as heavy, hard, or strong. However, the better grades of soft maple are used as a substitute for hard maple in some projects. This is because soft maple has good steam bending, and medium crushing and bending strengths. It works well with hand and machine tools, and nails, screws, planes, and bores satisfactorily. It is reliably stable, which also makes it easy to work with. It can be stained and polished to an excellent glass smooth finish.

Soft maple is used for turnery, cabinetry, furniture framing, domestic flooring, internal joinery, kitchen utensils, veneer, plywood, crates, toys, and musical instruments.

Take a look at how soft maple was even used during the Civil War in 1864. This interesting relic of the war was made by George M. Colt , and will forever be known as the Civil War fiddle.

When it comes to a great domestic wood, maple has the qualities you look for in lumber, including the range of figuring present in the different species. Go to our website for additional information on Soft Maple, Curly Soft Maple, and Ambrosia Maple wood. There you can also find Soft Maple, Curly Soft Maple, and Ambrosia Maple lumber. We also offer Maple thinwood.

Wood of the Week – Ambrosia Maple

Wood of the Week

Ambrosia Maple

An Ambrosia Maple floor is truly memorable.

Perfect for rustic and traditional homes, Ambrosia Maple flooring creates captivating spaces. I don’t think it’s far fetched to say that you’ll be telling the story of your floor to every person who sees it for the first time. What makes Ambrosia Maple so special?

Each plank of Ambrosia Maple has been touched by life itself. When the Ambrosia beetle makes it home in a maple tree, it leaves a trail that creates the wormy pattern. It is this wormy maple pattern in Soft Maple lumber that creates such a lasting impression.

Many people ask whether the tiny holes left by the Ambrosia beetle compromise the wood in any way. The answer is no. Once the wood is finished, those holes are filled in and add to the wood’s overall appeal. With beautiful brown and grey stripes, the small worm holes act as accents and really do look great.

At Advantage Lumber, we hand-pick the best Ambrosia maple lumber by hand. By picking best looking wormy maple, you can have a floor that is a true conversation piece.

Contact us today to buy Ambrosia Maple flooring and wormy maple lumber: 1-877-232-3915