What size should I mill hard maple ?

[chads]

I was given 3 20" hard maple logs about 10 foot long.
Wondering what size to cut them. curious what uses /sizes maple is often used.
I plan to use a alaskan mill on them.
THanks Chad

 

[marshall]

my 2 cents - If you don't know how you are going to use it, you may want to try slight thicker slabs. 1" thick maple isn't that hard to get, but a well milled bigger piece can be less common and more expensive. A nice thicker slab gives a wood worker some options including resawing the slab to get matched panels or incorporating the slab into the design.

You may also want to consider any defects or figuring that you want to include or exclude from a cut.

Maple kitchen cabinets are fairly popular around here, but it is also used to make furniture. Not as popular as oak, but a good wood to work with.

 

[Mad Professor]

I'd do mostly 4/4 and 5/4, unless you need slabs for strength or tables/bars. Remember once dried and planed it will be thinner.

 

[DTrap]

You could also just make it into cants and then cut it to desired slabs later on when you know exactly what you are needing.