Ambrosia Maple Table by Jay Goldbach Arts: Custom Woodworking, Music, Custom Guitars

This stunning table is crafted from a 2-inch thick live edge slab of ambrosia maple, showcasing the wood’s natural beauty and organic contours. The surface is alive with striking curl figure, giving it a rippling, three-dimensional texture that shifts with the light. Dark streaks and tonal variation from spalting and ambrosia beetle activity add layers of character and contrast, turning natural defects into dramatic visual features. A true conversation piece, this table blends bold grain with warm honey tones, ideal as a centerpiece in any refined rustic or modern organic space.

Ambrosia maple is not a distinct species of maple, but rather a term used to describe maple wood that has been naturally stained and patterned by the ambrosia beetle. Here's how it forms:

Beetle Activity: The ambrosia beetle bores into soft maple trees (typically silver, red, or sugar maple), carrying with it a symbiotic fungus.
Fungal Staining: As the beetle tunnels through the wood, it introduces the fungus, which colonizes the interior. The tree reacts by producing chemical changes that cause dark streaks and blue-gray to brown discoloration in the grain.
Signature Look: The resulting wood is marked by unique streaks and small bore holes, often paired with spalting (caused by other fungi) and figure (like curl or flame), adding to its visual richness.
No Structural Compromise: Though cosmetically altered, ambrosia maple is still structurally sound when properly dried and kiln-treated.

This natural collaboration between insect and fungus transforms ordinary maple into a visually dynamic material prized by woodworkers and furniture makers for its distinctive appearance.

This item is for sale and does not include the legs shown in these pictures. I'm happy to help you pick (or make) the legs best suited for your needs.

Furniture Ambrosia Maple Table

2025