Wood inspector

Family: Aceraceae

Common names: Ashleaf maple, Boxelder, Manitoba maple, Maple

Distributed in: Canada, United States (North America)

Distribution overview: Boxelder is widespread in riparian and palustrine communities throughout most of the contiguous United States.Its range extends from New Jersey and central New York west through extreme southern Ontario, central Michigan, northern Minnesota, central Manitoba, central Saskstchewan,southern Alberta and central Montana, eastern Wyoming, Utah, and California; and south to southern Texas and central Florida.It is also local in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Idaho, and Nevada.Boxelder has been naturalized in Maine, southern Quebec, NewBrunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and in southeastern Washington and eastern Oregon.Varieties of boxelder occur in the mountains of Mexico (Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, and south to Chihuahua) and in Guatemala.

Common uses: Building materials, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative plywood, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tables , Trimming, Turnery, Utility furniture, Wainscotting, Wardrobes

Product sources: Occasionally mixed with other soft maples and sold as such. It is ordinarily not harvested for timber, and cannot be classified as commercially available. The tree grows abundantly in some areas and is available for small projects, as may be undertaken by hobbyists. Red-streaked Boxelder wood is popular with woodworkers for certain specific applications.

Environment profile: Status unknown in many of its growth areas

Tree size: Tree height is 10-20 m The bole is rather short and is often divided into several irregular limbs, which give the tree a rounded shapely crown.

Colors: the heart isYellow, Yellowish brownand the sapwoodGreenish-yellow, Yellow.The grain isWavy

Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very little natural resistance

Odor: No specific smell or taste

Kiln Schedules: 8 - D4 (4/4) T6 - C3 (8/4) U

Ease of Drying: Slowly

Blunting Effect: Moderate

Gluing: Gluing properties are variable

Nailing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Satisfactory nailing properties

Planing: Responds well to both hand and machine tools

Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood

Response to hand tools: Satisfactorily

Steam bending: Good

Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;