Maple Burl Information - Interesting Facts About Maple Burl Wood

Big-Leaf Maple Burl Square Bowl by
Bob P. of Connecticut

BIG-LEAF MAPLE BURL FACTS

Because Big-Leaf Maple trees (Acer macrophyllum) grow in such abundance near the Pacific coast of the United States, there's no shortage of burls to be gleaned from them. (A "burl," for the uninitiated, is a lumpy outgrowth that forms on a tree as a result of parasites or some other type of damage; the wood found within these burls is often spectacularly figured due to the inherently erratic grain.)

The kaleidoscopic pattern of swirls common to Big-Leaf Maple Burl makes the species immensely popular among woodturners and carvers, as well as makers of fine furniture, musical instruments, and paneling.

Some of the Famous "Big Leaves"

The heartwood of Big-Leaf Maple Burl varies in color from light cream to dark brown and, of course, features a haphazard pattern of swirls. Like any burl wood, Big-Leaf Maple Burl can be somewhat difficult to turn because of its unpredictable grain. It does, however, polish very nicely.

Big-Leaf Maple takes its name, obviously, from the prodigious size of its leaves — typically about 6 to 12 inches wide. The trees themselves normally grow to heights of about 30 feet and can develop several trunks. One freakishly large Big-Leaf Maple tree in Oregon reportedly has a trunk diameter of nearly 12 feet and is 101 feet tall. (Imagine the size of the burls on that tree!)

BIG-LEAF MAPLE BURL TIDBITS

Native Canadian Indians referred to the Big-Leaf Maple tree as the "Paddle Tree" because they often made paddles with the wood.

Although maple syrup has been made using the sap of Big-Leaf Maple trees, the trees are generally not used for this purpose. The Maple tree renowned for its sap is Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum).