Anyone know anything about roasted maple?

[Scott H]

I have found that quartersawn hard maple guitar neck blanks are one possible source of wood in dimensions suitable for certain planes that are around ~1" x 3.5" in cross section, like rabbet planes, moulding planes, etc. It makes sense because there is also a lot of need for guitar necks to be very stable, and I'd imagine there are more guitars being made than wooden planes these days. Some ebay vendors actually will show you the end grain of a particular piece in the product photos, too. Looks like you could typically get 3 planes out of one neck blank. There are thicker blanks too but they are less affordable.

In addition to that I am seeing some vendors selling "roasted" hard maple. I guess it is a particular heating process they apply to the wood. The end result is supposed to be more stable, but I also hear it may be harder but more brittle. There are some pieces that look really attractive from a grain perspective but I'm not sure about the roasted aspect.

Does anyone have any hands on experience with roasted maple? Is it difficult to work with with hand tools? Any thoughts on whether it might be a net positive or negative for a plane application?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Roy G]

Is that what Lee Valley uses for their chisel handles?

Roy G

 

[Scott H]

@Roy G Reading the LV store page it sounds like it is the same thing. They don't use the term "roasted" but they do say,

The handle is hard maple that has been kiln-baked at a high temperature to eliminate nearly all moisture content and caramelize the natural sugars in the wood. This imparts a rich, dark color to the wood, while helping to seal it against humidity changes, making it resistant to swelling and shrinkage.

And they refer to it as "caramelized" in the use and care manual.

 

[Scott H]

I am thinking it cannot be that brittle given LV makes it clear you can hit their chisels with a mallet.

 

[Oka]

Roasting Maple (aka- Baked or Caramelized) is maple that has you heat treat by putting in a vacuum vessel (i.e. pressure pot or equal) and oven bake between 350-400 degrees. This will lower/ remove sugars, moisture, and other impurities. Usually, you try to get the moisture to 3-5% then, let stand to stabilize. The wood will change color from white to a darker color as a result of this process.