In article .com, wrote:
If it's got a lot of curly figure, it's soft.

Usually, but not necessarily. The curly figure does occur in hard maple (I
have a few such pieces sitting in the shop waiting to become something),
although it's much less common than in the softer species.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?