Another, please help identify this wood . . .

[Peter Blair]

A few weeks ago an acquaintance here in my local town in south western BC had a large tree removed from his property. When it was cut he called me to see if I was still interested in some wood. Unfortunately I continue to recover from Hernia surgery and remain unable to lift much at all. I did recruit two fiends and with the help of one of my grandsons they were able to cut it into manageable pieces and get it in my trailer. I felt really bad standing around watching but was really happy with the wood. When we arrived at the site a fellow associated with the group that removed the tree, had just finished grinding the stump. I asked him what type of tree it was. He said as far as he knew it was Big Leaf Maple but the largest leaf I could find was about 4" x 4" so I doubted his id. We checked the permit to remove the tree which indicated it was 'maple'. Not much help there either.
Soooooo . . .. here are a few photos of what I got. When cut the wood is very light color with minimal difference between the heart and sap wood.
IMG_3135 (1).jpgIMG_3181 (1).jpgIMG_3154.jpgIMG_3160.jpg
Smells like a lot of maple I have worked with. I tried to identify the leaf and the closest I can come is London Plane?
Thanks for your help.

[allen thunem]

A big chunk of maple based on the leaf shape

[Chris Gunsolley]

Silver Maple. It tends to have really nice figure throughout much of the tree. There will be some really nice figure in sections where the fibers were under pressure to change direction, such as crotch sections, anywhere the branch changed direction, and also toward the base of the trunk. You can tell where the figure will be, because the bark will look bunched up or 'buldgy' at those locations. If I were you, I'd start my bowl turning with the sections exhibiting bulges on the outside, then progress to those where the bark looks most abnormal and crusted up. These will be most likely to exhibit figure.

It turns like a dream, with clean, easy cuts, and you'll feel like you can do anything you want with this wood. In fact, it's probably my favorite wood to turn just for the experience of turning it, and because it cuts so easily, I can make a bowl with Silver Maple faster than with any other wood that I've turned. It can fuzz, but that's not much of a concern because that fuzz will sand away with just a couple of passes. The lighter color provides a nice clean look that contrasts nicely against a dark table, for example, and I think it's refreshing, and can look perfectly fitting in a wide array of contexts, from country to contemporary environments...

I see how you cut the logs into sections to be more manageable, so you'll want to do something to prevent your hunks of wood from cracking. I've done what you did here many times, and my advice would be to spray those heavily with water, then put garbage bags over them, and tape them shut. If mold forms, it will only be on the surface and therefore will be a non-issue once you cut your blanks and true everything up.

[Reed Gray]

Silver Maple leaves are kind of silver on the underside. Lots of them in the NW. They tend to have at least 1/2 inch growth rings. Another similar one is the Norway maple which does not get quite as large, and leaves similar to that. For sure not London Plane or Sycamore. Bark is totally different.

robo hippy

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Peter, I agree that it is Silver Maple, I have cut and turned quite a lot of it, nice wood, but don’t let is sit wet for long as it will discolor.

London Plan is another word for Sycamore, or the hybrid they got in England from the European and N.American Sycamore, just google London Plain tree and you will find some pictures that will show the flaking bark of it.

[Peter Blair]

Thank you all! I didn't keep any leaves so am unable to check the underside but don't remember any silver on the underside of the leaves.
Leo. When I finish cutting the large chunks into usable size pieces I will have about 2 months worth of roughing out to do if I am able to get to it as soon as I can again do any lifting. You note it will discolour quickly. Does it go grey? Will it do that if I store it under a tarp, in the shade with all the end grain coated with Anchorseal? Thanks again to all for your input.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo. When I finish cutting the large chunks into usable size pieces I will have about 2 months worth of roughing out to do if I am able to get to it as soon as I can again do any lifting. You note it will discolour quickly. Does it go grey? Will it do that if I store it under a tarp, in the shade with all the end grain coated with Anchorseal? Thanks again to all for your input.

Pieter as usual, it depends a bit as to how quick it will discolor, like a sick tree can have the discolor already in it when cut, 2 pictures here of two bowls that came from Silver Maple logs, and you can see that more like a dirty looking wood of them.

Sealing might make it worse by keeping the wood wet, the condition of the surrounding will influence it, like a wet or drier place, more air movement or less, warmer or colder.

I would expect that you have more time with colder weather than damp warmer conditions, load the pieces in a freezer, it should stop anything from happening.

I don’t have any pictures that show the discoloration better, but you can see here where the typical pinkish color has changed.

Silver Maple discolored.jpg Silver Maple bowl.jpg

About the leafs and the tree, Silver Maple does hybridize and the leaf can than change more or less, there is a Freeman Hybrid Maple that I have a picture from, it has less of the deep divide between the lobes of the leafs than most Silver Maple leafs have.

Freeman Hybrid Maple.jpg Our Silver Maple tree leaf.jpg

Also a BLM leaf and the bark of our Silver Maple.

Siver Maple tree bark.jpg BLM.jpg

[Ralph Lindberg]

I agree with Robo, Silver or Norway are both planted a lot around here. Silver tends to grow even faster then Big-Leaf.
My (limited) experience suggests that either spalts as least as easy as BigLeaf, if not more so.
Tarp and coated help, but also try to keep it off the ground, like sitting on a pallet. I've had Maple I set on-end, on concrete, in the shop (enclosed) and it pulled enough moisture in to spalt over the winter.
We are in the Pacific-North-Wet after all.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Norway Maple is quite different, both the leafs and the bark, also a much smaller tree than the Silver Maple.

We had Silver Maple and Norway Maple on our property in London Ontario, also neighbors had some, next door had a nice red leafed Crimson King, as well as the normal green Norway Maples.

I took picture of our Norway Maple’s bark and the leafs and seeds (Double Samaras), you can readily see the difference between the Silver Maple bark and leafs with the Silver Maple bark and leaf.

Norway Maple bark.jpg Norway Maple leafs and double samara seeds.jpg

[Brian Tymchak]

Also a BLM leaf and the bark of our Silver Maple.

BLM.jpg

Wow! Having never seen BLM in person, I can now understand where the name comes from...
Thanks for the pics Leo!