Key difference: Maple and cherry wood are two different types of wood. Both are types of hardwoods. Maple is a type of tree belonging in the genus Acer. As a wood, maple is a white hardwood and is considered to have a very tight and even grain. Maple wood is available as hard and soft maple wood. Both are quite hard as compared to other woods and both are specifically used for certain applications. Cherry wood is the wood of the cherry tree, which is officially part of the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs. Cherry wood has a reddish brown hue with a golden luster. When the wood is cut, it is very pale in color but the wood tends to become darker and richer with age, and eventually takes on its famous rich brown red shade.

Maple and cherry wood are two different types of wood. There are various different types of species for each type of tree and have various different types of wood available. Both are types of hardwoods.

Basically, hardwood is the wood that comes from an angiosperm tree. This is a type of tree that has seeds that are enclosed, be it in pods, a shell, a covering or in a fruit. For example, apples or nuts and seeds like acorns and walnuts. These types of seeds allow birds and insects to be attracted to the flowers of the tree and be able to carry the pollen to other trees. This is also the reason why hardwood trees are not often bunched together but are spaced apart and often have other trees in-between them.

Most hardwood trees are also deciduous is nature. A deciduous tree is a tree that loses its leaves annually. Hardwood trees are also slower to grow, taking their own time. Due to this, most hardwood is dense. This is also the reason that hardwood is expensive, as it takes longer to grow. Some famous hardwoods include maple, balsa, oak, elm, mahogany, and sycamore.

Maple is a type of tree belonging in the genus Acer. There are approximately 128 species of maple. They are mostly native to Asia, Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Fifty-four species of maples are currently under threat of extinction. Maple is characteristically known for its leaves, in fact the name ‘Acer’ means sharp and is derivative of the Maple leaves. Canada has adopted the Maple leave as its national symbol, and it also appears of their flag.

As a wood, maple is a white hardwood and is considered to have a very tight and even grain. Maple wood is available as hard and soft maple wood. Both are quite hard as compared to other woods and both are specifically used for certain applications. The soft wood is commonly used in furniture and molding very resilient and hence it used for durable purposes, such as a butcher block. In addition to butcher blocks, hard maple wood is also used for making pool cue shafts, wooden baseball bats. Maple wood is also often used for ornamental purposes such as bonsais, professional drums, syrup, smoking chips, and timber.

Maple wood is characterized for its white color and its tight and even grain. It does not have visible pores running through the wood, like some other types of wood, including oak. The lack of visible pores leaves a much smoother surface on all cuts. However, the lack of pores also does not allow maple to absorb dark stains, which means the staining the wood, a wood characteristic is out of the question. Furthermore, over time maple tend to grow yellowish.

Cherry wood is the wood of the cherry tree, which is officially part of the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs. Cherry wood has a reddish brown hue with a golden luster. When the wood is cut, it is very pale in color but the wood tends to become darker and richer with age, and eventually takes on its famous rich brown red shade.

Cherry wood is also often referred to as Black cherry, Capulin, Cherry, Chisos wild cherry, Choke cherry, Edwards Plateau cherry, Escarpment cherry, Gila choke cherry, Mountain black cherry, New England mahogany, Plum, Rum cherry, Southwestern chokecherry, Whiskey cherry, and/or Wild black cherry.

Cherry wood is fine textured, strong and fairly durable. It is also easy to work. This makes the wood extremely popular with cabinetmakers. In addition to cabinets, the wood is also used to make other furniture, as well as in wood bending and turning. It is also used to make veneer, interior millwork, and small accessories.

As a wood, cherry tends to be slightly softer than other hardwoods, such as maple. However, it is more capable of absorbing a stain or a glaze, hence the finished product has a more even stain finish. The wood also has a distinct grain pattern running through it due to the incorporating on the sapwood and hardwood into the timber, which may not be appealing to everyone. 

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