Quilted (Western Big Leaf) Maple

Quilt maple gets its name from the fact that the pattern looks laced (circular lines which cross the growth rings) with a very three dimensional look of lines looping around tiger stripe patterns.

Many things tend to create the unusual patterns found in Quilted Big Leaf Maple. No one has yet nailed down the exact conditions which cause the unusual visual patterns in this wood, although much of it is caused by weight and stress from the large limbs and twisted ways that the trees grow.

Probably the most knowledgeable person in regards to western figured maple is Bruce Harvey of Orcas Island, Washington. Bruce has studied Western Big Leaf Maple for years and was one of the very first producers of exotic woods for acoustic instrument manufacturers.