Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/18/2009

Question
We had asked a local cabinet maker who is very talented to build our kitchen cabinets in maple wood. He refused because he said when he used maple once the wood did not cut very nice and was having problems with it.  He likes to work with oak and wow is work is beautiful and solid but we would love maple instead.  So my question is what advise would you give him, such as, what kind of maple and what saws or tools to use and how to condition and stain it. I would like to know if there is a difference in working with oak and maple.  We really want him to do it but sure I want to give using maple. Hope you can respond and help me out!!!
Thank you for your time!

Answer
Hi Chris,

Your cabinetmaker is right, Maple can be really problematic. It's one of the harder domestic woods out there, and is quite difficult to machine. In fact, then I need to plane Maple down, I often run the boards through my wide board sander, rather than the planer. It's much easier to get a good surface by sanding, rather than planing, as it's so brittle.

But if he has sharp sawblades and his equipment is in good shape, that shouldn't be a problem. Maple is a little harder on your tools, but not overly so. I don't get what he's afraid of.

Another nightmare when working with Maple is that it can finish very splotchy if you don't know what you're doing. It's quite quirky, and some precautions must be taken when finishing it. So that could be another reason why he's trying to talk you out of it.

But I don't understand something - most cabinetmakers use cabinet grade plywood when building kitchen cabinet boxes, so if he's using plywood to build the carcasses, the issue of how the wood machines isn't really a factor.

So I'm guessing (assuming) that his main issue is the finishing issue of Maple. Quite simply, it's a REAL pain to get a good finish on Maple.

So perhaps the real issue is that he doesn't want to finish the cabinets. He could possibly be fine with building them, but uncomfortable with finishing them. I get it.

Here are a few suggestions - first, ask him for specifics why he is shying away from Maple. If he's that hesitant, there may be a good reason, like he's been down that road before and doesn't want another disaster. If that's the case, what about asking him to build them, and deliver them to someone who will do the finishing? I've done that a time or two, when a client has requested a finish that I didn't think I could apply to something I'd built. There's a good chance that what you save (when he reduces the price for not finishing the cabinets) will pay for the right guy to finish your cabinets.

Next, there is an excellent book called "Understanding Wood Finishing" but Bob Flexner, and I am pretty sure he deals with this issue about Maple.  Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Finishing-Select-Finish/dp/0875967345

Maybe you can buy a copy of this book and give it to him as a goodwill gesture. He might read what the author has to say about finishing Maple and give it a shot, especially after you gave him a cool gift like that. (It's a really great book.)

Last thing - When you think about kitchen cabinets, you really tend to see the doors of the cabinets, more than anything else. Depending on the layout of your kitchen, you often don't see the sides of the cabinet boxes, unless you're at the end of the run. So maybe he's shying away from this because the thought of finishing the doors is making him sweat. (Once again, I get it!) But there are a lot of door manufacturers out there that he could buy doors from, and get them finished at the door factory. I've done that quite a few times, and I'll say this - those door companies really do a nice job in finishing their products. So - depending on where you're located, maybe he should consider outsourcing the doors to a company that will finish them for him.  Just a thought.

The bottom line - you're the customer, and if you want Maple, then dammit! You should have Maple! If he won't do it, find another company that will.

Write back if you have more questions, and stick to your guns. There is quite a difference between the look on Maple and the look of Oak, so don't get talked out of something you really want.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com