Silver Maple

[CNT]

wife wants the tree cut down. It's a small backyard. I like trees, so not sure what to do. It won't bother me to cut it down, but should I? Since it's silver maple, measured ~87" around (~7' circle), should I bother to keep the lumber, have it be made boards? I have nothing to do the mill work, let alone hiring my friend to cut it down for me. I live in Milwaukee, WI. I doubt it will have some rotten center, but don't know.

Really, what I want to do is cut the one big branch (far-left) to let more sun to our plants. I don't think it would look that bad, but that's from my eye view, other people may see at it differently.

Suggestions?

Chuck

[Juergen Hannappel]

Take your time. You should in no case cut the tree down now, because now it's full of sap and gives poor wood, birds might nest in it and other animals inhabit it (which is why it's anyway forbidden to cut down trees druning spring and summer), so you should wait till december.

[Patriarch]

CNT wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Silver maple is not high value cabinet wood (think soft maple), but a clever person with a lathe could make nice stuff from that tree.

The nice thing there is that branch wood is not such a huge problem. Knots, streaks & such are 'character', not flaws. The wood is often used green/wet, rather than needing to be kilned or air-dry for a year or three. And the milling is done with a chain saw. Mistakes and/or offcuts are next year's firewood.

If you don't have a lathe, this is a good excuse. Either to get one and learn, or to make a friend or three. Turning wood scroungers seldom work alone. They don't pay cash for wood very often, but often bring nice examples of their work in appreciation. Sometimes, they will trade dry, but less valuable for turning wood, to replace your firewood losses.

I don't think that removing that left branch would make for an ugly tree, but I'm not an arborist.

Patriarch

[Richard Clements]

Prune off the branch if you need the light, should have done that back in may, if you can wait do it next spring before it starts to bud.

if you do take the tree down defiantly save the wood, if you can't mill it put an add in the paper and sell the whole log, I'm sure someone up there has a mill, or call around to the different mills and see how much they would charge to mill it for you. it would be a shame to waste it.

CNT wrote:

[toller]

Silver maple doesn't even make good firewood, though I had one that was pretty good for maple syrup.

Cut the one branch off and see how you like it. You can always cut it down later.

[No]

If milling I would be concerned about nails or other hidden bits of metal. Were stairs for the tree house nailed to it? Was a hook for a clothsling screwed into it? Dog chain? Hanging basket hook?

You get the idea. Not too much lumber per se and not much use for woodworking in my opinion. I know almost zero about turning so I defer to others about its suitability for that.

What it may be perfect for, if your a woodworker, would be to make sentimental items, for gifts and such. Do you have potential for future grandkids? Imagine presenting a rocker or cradle or whatever to the child of the child that climed that tree when they were little. Priceless.

[AAvK]

Best way to go about it. Conscientiously.

[AAvK]

I think if it is maple at all, it is a fantastic wood. Soft maple is not "soft" at all! Anyone can make fine furniture out of "soft" ash or "soft" sycamore and "soft" maple will be harder than either one.

[AAvK]

Curious, how many types of maples make syrup? Does "hard rock" maple make syrup?

[fredfighter]

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) makes "hard maple" wood and the sap is good for syrup.

Black Maple (Acer nigram) also makes "hard maple" wood and the sap is also good for syrup.

Sugar maple has harder wood, than black, and I think a higher sugar content. The wood of either can be called "rock" maple or "hard rock" maple as well as just "hard" maple.

Red and Silver maple, though the ahve a lower sugar content are both tapped commercially. The other maples could also be tapped for syrup, but generally are not.

[AAvK]

Very interesting, thanks much.

[toller]

All maples give sugary sap. Some species "tend" to be better than others, and some individuals "tend" to be better than others; in terms of either sap production or sugar content.. I have made syrup from sugar maple, red maple, silver maple, and box elder. Sugar maple is usually the best, but I had an excellent silver maple. Once it is boiled, it is all indistinguishable.

There is debate about whether sugar and black maples are different species.

[Phisherman]

[robo hippy]

I have turnde a fair amount of Sillver Maple. It does seem to have a bit more luster when sanded to a fine grit, than most other woods. The color tends to be rather bland white, but it can spalt and mold rather spectacularly. It isn't too dense, so would make a better secondary wood. Here in western Oregon, a 30 year old Silver Maple will be 30 + inches in diameter. They grow very fast, then start to fall apart, due to rot in the centers. It can have some nice figure too. robo hippy

[Patriarch]

"AAvK" wrote in news:ZnKle.124$4p.78@fed1read03:

I make stuff from soft maple all of the time. In fact, the bathroom vanity on my workbench is soft maple. The last nightstands were soft maple, with cherry tops.

But reaction/branch wood is a poor bargain, and I can buy kiln dried s3s soft maple at the yard, in any quantity I want, for less than $3.50/bf, in sizes up to 12/4. How much would I want to deal with cutting a yard tree for cabinet work, if I had to wait 8 months to cut it, and then another year or two past that before I could consider using it at all?

I'd rather turn it into bowls.

Patriarch

[Hax Planx]

Soft maple is a nice wood if you cut away the green and grey streaks. There isn't much grain, but a high percentage of it has some nice figure. I assume because of the very uneven quality, it is a very inexpensive wood. Your tree doesn't have much value unless there is a lot of figured wood in it, but that is a possibility. I loved working with it and I wish I had more access to it, but most hardwood dealers don't carry it because most people will pay the premium for hard maple that isn't cursed with the grey and green streaks.

[nailshooter41]

I'm with Patriach. Bowls, bowls, bowls. Hollow vessels, seed pots, candle sticks, etc.

You can turn maple green as a cantaloupe and do well with it.

Looking at your picture I can see the stress wrinkles... that means flames...

Oy.

Wood is a precious resource. I second the others that say to move cautiously and carefully.

After all, you probably won't live long enough to see a newly planted semi hardwood tree grow that large to replace it.

Robert

[Patriarch]

Hax Planx wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Remember the Chevy truck commercial? "That's character. Women _love_ character!"

The fact of the matter is that soft maple is often in the less premium section, but can be used in place of hard maple where the hardness isn't an issue, and the color is close. I use it all of the time for cases, frames, drawer sides & the like. I also use it, a lot, for my own furniture, because there is often great figure available at $3.15/bf. It blends well with cherry, particularly under shellac.

And for paint grade, it's more stable than birch, and harder than poplar, with a price premium (here) of less than $1/bf.

We're blessed with all kinds of wonderful wood species. They all have their roles and reasons.

Patriarch

[AAvK]

Why thank you sir, that sounds far better now... than before.

[Prometheus]

The neighbor has got a silver maple that overhangs my yard, and I'm about ready to sneak over and cut that sucker down myself. Everytime I mow the grass, I have to clean up downed branches from the thing. I'm worried that the sucker is going to fall on my roof one of these days when there's a strong wind- they get really big, and aren't very strong. I like working with maple, and I'd save the wood if I *were* cutting it down (but as noted above, it's the neighbor's- so I can't).

OTHO, the two in my yard are rock maple, and I wouldn't cut them down for anything- they're strong, heathy, provide good shade, and look nice. Ultimately it's up to you- but if the wife wants it gone, it's a good excuse to get yourself a chainsaw and a bunch of free wood- and you can always replant the spot with something of your own choice (I don't know about Milwaukee, but up here (near Rice Lake) maples are like weeds, and the one you've got was probably an accident in the first place!).