Retail prices for 4/4 spalted maple were quoted at $7.50 to $9/bf, though price is often dictated by the amount of figure.
What is spalted maple wood?
Spalted maple is a work of nature’s art that happens when fungus invades maple creating a vein pattern. There is no other pattern like it in nature. Spalted maple can be found in either hard maple or soft maple – the spalt will occur in either species.
Is spalted maple rotten?
Spalted maple is just ordinary maple that’s partly rotten. After the wood is cut, different colonies of stain, mold and decay fungi attack it and establish boundaries to preserve their turf. That’s what those black lines are—borders between warring tribes.
Is spalted wood valuable?
Although spalted wood is highly prized and sought-after by woodworkers, designers and architects, spalting is a form of decay and poses potential risks to the wood’s structural integrity, affecting weight and strength in particular.
How do you know if maple is spalted?
Spalted Maple is normally a Hard Maple but can also be seen in Soft Maple. The figure in Spalted Maple is produced by decay. Basically, the tree or log starts to decay and during that process, a fungus attacks the wood. This fungus gives Spalted Maple the distinct black lines of figure that woodworkers love.
How do you get spalted maple?
Spalting is caused by certain white-rot decay fungi growing in wood–primarily hardwoods such as maple, birch, and beech. The fungi create —zone lines“ in the wood where territories of competing fungi meet.
How do you finish spalted wood?
We recommend applying lacquer or water-based varnish, two finishes that add little color to wood. However, if you prefer a warmer, more amber look, you can use oil-based varnish or shellac. You might choose polyurethane for items that will receive a lot of use. Avoid applying oil, such as boiled linseed oil.
What is tiger maple wood?
Flame maple (tiger maple), also known as flamed maple, curly maple, ripple maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as “flames”.
What is maple burl?
Maple burl is a growth on the big leaf maple tree, Acer macrophyllum. It has a uniform color with dramatic figure representing large eyes. Popular for pool cues an other turnery, this wood machines and finishes well. Temperate Hardwood.
What causes quilted maple?
While there’s some debate about what causes wood to become figured, we know what causes spalting- specifically, a fungus. Spalting can happen in almost any wood species, but it’s mostly found in maple. When the ends of a freshly-cut log are exposed to moisture, a fungus can find its way inside the log and begin to eat.
Is spalted wood weak?
Like a piece of fruit that’s been infested with mold, spalted wood has a weaker structure than a wood that has not been eaten by a fungus, and if you wait too long for a cool pattern, you might end up with a wood that falls apart in your hands.
Is spalted wood good for firewood?
Is Spalted Wood a Good Choice for Campfires? Most woods, provided they are untreated, are a great choice for campfires. Spalted wood is no exception – as long as the wood is dry, it is an acceptable choice for a campfire because it will burn just fine.
Does all wood Spalt?
All wood can decay, therefore all wood can spalt. There are no ‘ideal’ woods for spalting, but all wood species spalt differently, and some fungi prefer some wood species to others.
Can any wood be spalted?
Both hardwoods (deciduous) and softwoods (coniferous) can spalt, but zone lines and white rot are more commonly found on hardwoods due to enzymatic differences in white rotting fungi.
How do you encourage spalting?
Adding Wood Shavings / Soil
First, adding wood shavings and/or soil helps keep a high moisture content in the wood, which the fungi need to grow. Second, adding one or both of these introduces extra fungal spores, which may or may not be spalting fungi. So, no stimulation, but they are helping.
