# is there any point in milling silver maple (part 2)



## mikeb1079 (May 8, 2010)

so fellow as member wendell and i took a crack at a big old silver maple that went down in the wind this past week. it was probably pushing 40" at the base and about 8' long. my jig can only handle 28" so we got to use my edging jig that i cobbled together. it worked ok, but it definitely needs some tweaking. anyways, we got er down to just under 28" and started milling away. i'm glad we did too because the wood was actually really nice. in fact, it really reminded me of black cherry with the salmon pink hues in there and the wormy markings. cuts about the same too, although at 28" across it was pushing the limits of the 066. got to see wendell's dolmakita 7900 too which really rips. here's the rootball and trunk.







wendell ripping thru the trunk with his 7900.






sides ripped off, you can see some of the rot at the top of the slab:






yours truly at the helm:






wendell takes a ride:






here's some of the grain, it's tricky to see in the overcast light but there's actually a bit of figure in some areas. it's also way more pink than this shows:







we cut the slabs at just over 8/4. took home seven slabs in total, there was probably at least one or two more we could've taken but that side of the log was a bit more rotten and we were running out of time. had to stack in the driveway until i can cut more stickers and build another drying rack. the neighbors are getting curious. anyways, was a good day. thanks wendell!


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## mtngun (May 8, 2010)

Good job ! 

Any plans for the wood ?


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## mikeb1079 (May 8, 2010)

hey mg, thanks for the good words. my neighbor came over to help me stack the slabs and he was impressed. he got to thinking that he might like to use them for countertops or something like that depending on how they dry. the upside is that it'll be awhile before we have to decide.


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## Daninvan (May 9, 2010)

Looks great! Glad you were able to get it slabbed up - nice big clear trunk. I'd make sure you seal the ends ASAP to prevent cracks. Make sure it gets plenty of air circulation, and no direct sunlight or moisture as you store it outside in your stack.

Yeah, maybe I wouldn't make fenceposts or structural beams out of it, but it has great colour and grain and would be perfect for a cabinet, table, or other interior application. Hope it dries well for you.

Dan


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## 820wards (May 9, 2010)

Mike,

Nice looking wood! Those will make cool somethings.

jerry-


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## jimdad07 (May 9, 2010)

Great slabs, show us what you make with them.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 9, 2010)

Good job! Thanks for posting the picts..

Rob


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## smokinj (May 9, 2010)

I would not have thought of milling silver maple and got a very clean one yesterday, great post.


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## wendell (May 9, 2010)

Thanks for posting the pics, Mike. A good time was had by all! Also got a lot of curious neighbors stopping by. Unfortunately, my wife had plans for me so I had to take off a bit early. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.


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## mikeb1079 (May 9, 2010)

thanks for the kind words fellas. here's a better shot of the grain, it really is some neat stuff.











i picked up a 3 1/2" (power) planer today and tried it out on this slab. i really really dig it. works great. even though i enjoy hand planing there's definitely a time and place for power!


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## Guitar Wood? (Mar 3, 2018)

I visited this site a couple of years ago wondering if it was worth my time to mill Silver Maple for a guitar build. I left with subdued enthusiasm, but enough optimism to split a few logs to see what I was dealing with. I can emphatically report that Silver Maple is a "tone wood," capable of serving as rhythm sticks, solid body guitar material, and showing dramatic, breathtaking color and nuance. It is also subject to bug invasion and its telltale ruts. Several times my wood crafting operations revealed rotten patches, which had to be excavated and plugged, but the overall experience was more than worth the effort. You can check out a video of the fabrication here:  . And a photo of the finished guitar body:



I like the blues, reds, and pink colors.

Would love to hear your comments!
#SetupMyGuitar


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## wendell (Mar 12, 2018)

Very nice! I guess that was worth reviving an 8 year old thread. LOL


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## sonny580 (Mar 12, 2018)

HEY!!! I made some boards like that just a couple days ago!!---Even have the spalting in them too!---I like that kind of wood, it's a nice hardwood!--I know people say it's soft, BUT aint nuttin soft bout it!--Takes sharp tools to work it! LOL!!! 
Guitar looks beautiful and thanks for posting it!!! thanks; sonny580


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## JTM (Mar 12, 2018)

Nice Strat. What pups did you go with?


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## moondoggie (Mar 12, 2018)

Guitar Wood? said:


> I visited this site a couple of years ago wondering if it was worth my time to mill Silver Maple for a guitar build. I left with subdued enthusiasm, but enough optimism to split a few logs to see what I was dealing with. I can emphatically report that Silver Maple is a "tone wood," capable of serving as rhythm sticks, solid body guitar material, and showing dramatic, breathtaking color and nuance. It is also subject to bug invasion and its telltale ruts. Several times my wood crafting operations revealed rotten patches, which had to be excavated and plugged, but the overall experience was more than worth the effort. You can check out a video of the fabrication here:  . And a photo of the finished guitar body:
> View attachment 636987
> 
> 
> ...



Nice!! Thanks for sharing!!


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## Guitar Wood? (Mar 14, 2018)

wendell said:


> Very nice! I guess that was worth reviving an 8 year old thread. LOL


Thanks! I was reticent to post to this thread because of the inactivity, but I guess the multiple replies alleviate that concern!


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## Guitar Wood? (Mar 14, 2018)

sonny580 said:


> HEY!!! I made some boards like that just a couple days ago!!---Even have the spalting in them too!---I like that kind of wood, it's a nice hardwood!--I know people say it's soft, BUT aint nuttin soft bout it!--Takes sharp tools to work it! LOL!!!
> Guitar looks beautiful and thanks for posting it!!! thanks; sonny580


+sonny580 Agreed about the hardness. I found the material worked like true hardwood and held form nicely.
Those little surprises you uncover are manageable, plus, it seems the most amazing coloring and figure occur near defects.
Thanks for the kind words!
#Community


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## Guitar Wood? (Mar 14, 2018)

JTM said:


> Nice Strat. What pups did you go with?


+JTM Thanks!
I started out with a basic populated pickguard from Stewart-MacDonald, then quickly upgraded to their "Vintage Hot-Wired" populated pickguard with AlNiCo magnets.
I think it has just the right signature sound I was looking for.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 15, 2018)

Thanks for dropping back in. As my Dad would say, "That's one fine looking Git-Fiddle". Some one in his family used to play the guitar, on occasions, with a bow, like a fiddle. Made some interesting sounds. I like Spalted Maple too, have a bunch that I milled 5-6 years ago stacked in the rafters of my shop. Feel free to drop in whenever you like.


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## Guitar Wood? (Mar 17, 2018)

rarefish383 said:


> Thanks for dropping back in. As my Dad would say, "That's one fine looking Git-Fiddle". Some one in his family used to play the guitar, on occasions, with a bow, like a fiddle. Made some interesting sounds. I like Spalted Maple too, have a bunch that I milled 5-6 years ago stacked in the rafters of my shop. Feel free to drop in whenever you like.


+rarefish383 Thanks for the invitation (and the compliment)! I'll connect with you next time I'm in the MD area. Jimmy Page was known for playing guitar with a bow...


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## PheasantHunter (Mar 19, 2018)

I built our bedroom set (bed, 2 nightstands, 2 8 drawer dressers, stand alone mirror) out of silver maple. It was planted by my grandparents on their farm, always nice to know the full history of the material that you work with, IMO.


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