Type of Wood Lane

Maple
Maple is a hardwood with a closed, even grain and fine, uniform, texture. Colors vary from light, red-brown heartwood to darker, banded late-wood and white sap-wood. Of the 115 different species of maple, two types are grown commercially in the U.S.: soft maple, such as red and silver, and hard maple, which includes sugar and black maple. Maple is used to make floors for sports halls and bowling alley lanes because of the extremely durable nature of the wood, the characteristic of resisting shock (e.g. when a bowling ball impacts the lane) and dense nature which permits the frequent refinishing practiced by bowling centers. Bowling centers construct lanes from heavy maple boards, each weighing approximately 400 pounds, in tongue and groove sections which are nailed and glued together. Usually, the first 12 feet of any lane, including the area a player stands on, are made of maple.

Pine
Pine is a softwood with straight grains, a uniform texture and is white or pale yellow in color that darkens to a deep orange shade with age. Pine trees grow in North America from British Columbia to California and Utah. The western white pine, one of over 100 species of pine, was discovered and named by explorer David Douglas in 1831. Pine is one of the favorite woods used by carpenters because it's easy to work with, either hand or power tools, resists shrinkage, is reasonably strong (but not as strong as hardwoods) and resists decay. According to Ruth Midgley, author of the definitive sports guide, "The Rule Book," (Griffin, April 1987) pine boards make up the mid-lane area of bowling alleys. She says, "The first 12 feet of all wooden lanes is made of maple, the next 46 feet is made of pine and the pin deck is made of maple."

Cherry
Cherry is a hardwood with a closed and straight grain with a glowing reddish-brown color that darkens with age and exposure to sunlight. Cherry wood is favored by cabinet-makers because it resists warping, it's strong, but light in weight, and is considered one of the most beautiful decorative woods. The wood resists shock well, a good property for flooring in bowling alley lanes, since the balls used in this sport are extremely heavy, weighing up to 16 pounds.