Birdseye Maple comes from the Sugar Maple, a hard maple, which produces a heavy, strong, stiff and shock resistant lumber. The most distinctive surface feature of sugar maple is the rare, highly figured grain patterns found in more variety than in any other domestic hardwood.

The most prized of all figured woods is the bird's eye maple. The "eyes" form in the wood when a myriad of immature buds form below the outer growth rings on the trunk. They push outward but fail to reach the surface. This phenomena rarely occurs over an entire tree. More often it is found only on one side or in patches and is not found in any other specie. Bird's eye maple grain cannot be detected until the tree is cut.