Dumb question

[hortonstn]

How do you tell red maple from sugar maple?
Looking at a blank I know sugar or Curley is harder

[JLSawyer]

Can you post a picture? Plenty of guys here should be able to tell you just by looking at it. Here’s this though that might help.

https://www.baillie.com/hardwood-lumber-blog/item/536-the-difference-between-hard-maple-and-soft-maple

[Not English]

I don't worry too much about it if the red maple is hard enough. I have guns made of each. I think red maple can frequently have better overall figure.

Dave

[B.Habermehl]

Not to be redundant, color is a clue. If you have a known piece of sugar maple put it along side the other slab the sugar maple usually wil be noticeably whiter in color. The red maple I’ve handeled all had a bit of reddish or faintly pinkish cast. If you see some side by side it’s pretty easy to see the difference. Of course there’s a exception to every rule. BJH

[jerrywh]

I have used some real hard red maple but it is never as hard as some sugar maple.  Just looks different.

[Top Jaw]

On boards/blanks that have been cut for awhile and are slightly oxidized, sugar/hard maple typically develops a faint yellow cast.  Red tends to remain pale (or paler) as it ages.  But this may only be noticeable when boards or blanks are viewed side by side, and some air drying and oxidation has occurred.   

On freshly kiln dried or planned and cut air dried lumber, this oxidation may not be present or may have been removed.  A chemical test kit is the most reliable method.  However, if a red blank has decent density, and comes from northern state sources (above the Ohio River) it should be fine for gun-building and take carving well.  Just not as well as hard maple.   

Both species have curly variations.  Red curly is more common, and can generally be a little more contrasting when stained/finished. 

[hortonstn]

Reason for question is I've heard aquafortis will turn red maple black instead of the nice brown/red tones is this a fact or fiction?

[JLSawyer]

Reason for question is I've heard aquafortis will turn red maple black instead of the nice brown/red tones is this a fact or fiction?

I’ve heard Allen Martin and Mike Brooks say it will turn black or blackish. I don’t know from first hand experience but those guys are highly regarded builders and I would think pretty reliable sources. I believe red maple accepts pigmented stains like LMF more readily.

[rich pierce]

Reason for question is I've heard aquafortis will turn red maple black instead of the nice brown/red tones is this a fact or fiction?

I’ve got one rifle stocked in fairly hard red maple that went dark brown to black with yellowish undertones when rubbed back. Have not seen that with sugar maple.

[axelp]

I once asked a well-known kit vendor the same question and they told me flat out that there was no way to tell for sure.

K

[Jim Kibler]

In my experience sugar maple often has a bit more of a yellow cast or even a cleaner white color.  There are exceptions, however.  I think there are a few more scientific approaches to identification involving end grain ray inspection and treating with a dilute acid.  I believe red maple is more prone to turn gray when exposed to a weak acidic solution.

Jim

[Mark Elliott]

In my experience, red maple has a reddish cast to it as compared to sugar maple which tends to be whiter.   I usually use red maple for my southern iron mounted guns.   They stain up a nice medium to dark brown with AF, but are grey when initially exposed to the acid.   

This is red maple.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I agree with Mr. Elliott, Red maple has a reddish tone, or maybe pink to it.  I can also tell by the smell, when I start rasping red maple it gives off an odor that reminds me of an old ash tray. 

Cory Joe Stewart

[P.W.Berkuta]

This is red maple done with AF - two coats. It went very dark gray as soon as the AF was applied. After I applied heat with a heat gun it turned a very dark maroon color almost blackish. I guess I could have rubbed it back to a dark chestnut color but I liked it the way it is.

[Bob Roller]

The ONLY dumb questions are the ones that are not asked.
Bob Roller

[WadePatton]

Reason for question is I've heard aquafortis will turn red maple black instead of the nice brown/red tones is this a fact or fiction?

This varies by the stump from which the tree was cut. Every species varies in hardness and mineral composition according to the location it grew.  North side of the slope produces the best dense wood (tighter rings from tougher growing conditions and less light). Makes better firewood too.  I say you cannot say for sure until you test a piece in hand.  I've yet to try Red Maple, but I've seen some gorgeous wood from them.  Most suppliers can tell you if it's hard or not-so-hard when you ask them about a particular slab.

[WadePatton]

I agree with Mr. Elliott, Red maple has a reddish tone, or maybe pink to it.  I can also tell by the smell, when I start rasping red maple it gives off an odor that reminds me of an old ash tray. 

Cory Joe Stewart

Nice, yes many woods can be identified by the terpenes and other? aromas they release when we mess with them.  I know I can ID five or seven purely by smell.

[Daryl]

There is a soft maple that is not suitable for rifle stocks. It is called Manitoba maple. It grows in South Western Ontario as well as here in P.G.
and likely many other places - like Manitoba? It is a very fast growing tree, usually bushy-like around the base, sometimes with many stalks,
 but can be up to about 14" through the butts.  & Soft it is. Can be quite weed-like when trying to get rid of it for good. Like an aspen, any roots
left in the ground can send up new shoots turning into trunks if left. Sooner or later it gives up.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/manitoba-maple

[jerrywh]

In my experience, red maple has a reddish cast to it as compared to sugar maple which tends to be whiter.   I usually use red maple for my southern iron mounted guns.   They stain up a nice medium to dark brown with AF, but are grey when initially exposed to the acid.   

This is red maple.

I agree but It looks sort of pink to me.

[Metalshaper]

Pink?? The color that came to my mind was Dragon's blood..Like the old oxfords my dad had with a suit

Respect Always

[Jim Kibler]

Reason for question is I've heard aquafortis will turn red maple black instead of the nice brown/red tones is this a fact or fiction?

Not true. 

[Marcruger]

Mark Elliott, you have to be pleased with your work on the rifle above.  That finish looks fantastic in the photos.  Best wishes, and God Bless,  Marc

[oldhunter1954]

What do you do to the wood that has been inletted? Under the barrel, inside the lock, etc. Do you seal it somehow ?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use tung oil for stock finish, and on the areas that are not stained, for example, inside the lock, patch box opening, barrel channel, trigger and guard inlet, and under the butt plate, I simply use a brush and apply finish to those spots.  I do this for the first three apps of finish, and then I leave them alone.