I rough-turn my spalted bowl blanks first, then let them air dry for about a year to stop the fungal growth. And, you won’t have to spend a penny on the material.
If you catch it right, meaning before the spalting process turns the wood punky and unusable for woodworking, you can end up with prime turning blanks in the most fantastic patterns. I haven’t noticed a particular smell that lingers with spalted lumber, once it’s dry and finished, so I think your choice of an oil finish will work fine for your project.Ī great source for spalted wood is just about any firewood pile that’s exposed to occasional moisture. Its random pattern of black jagged lines in the wood is striking, and it’s a case where natural wood decay can be used to pleasing effect. Otherwise, it is beautiful in the eyes of many.Ĭhris Marshall: I’m a fan of spalted wood, both in board form and for woodturning purposes. Treenware items intended for food handling and preparation would probably be best made from something not spalted. A good sealer and finish will lock in anything that might cause smells or contamination from contact. Your project will require that your wood be dried down to ordinary cabinet lumber moisture content. The fungi require high moisture content in the wood to be able to grow and be active. This was easy to turn in that the wood is quite soft, but it was hard to turn in that as the end grain came around into the gouge, it tended to crush sideways. The glue solution penetrates the spalted/punky wood and when hardened allows for a decent finishing cut and sanding. This approach has the benefit of being less expensive and with no obnoxious fumes, two advantages over CA. Spalting is the natural breakdown of the tree. After 24 hrs., remove the piece from the glue solution and let it dry another 12-24 hrs. Remember, nearly ALL wood dust can be harmful to our respiratory tracts. At least, they are not more harmful than the wood and wood dust from whence they come. Tim Inman: The fungi that cause spalting are not necessarily harmful. Soft Maple Spalted Hackberry Spalted Maple Spanish Cedar Tamboti (African Cocobolo) Teak (Genuine) Tigre Caspi (Marblewood) Tipa Tulipwood. Will that sufficiently seal the surface so there won’t be any residual musty smell from the piece? Or am I totally off-track in wanting to use these boards? – J ay Cooper We specialize in exotic and domestic lumber, turning wood, burls, thin dimensional lumber and live edge slabs. I want to stop any potential for further deterioration that may be caused by the fungi that have caused the spalting to begin with, as I hope the final project will be handed down from parents to grandchildren. Should I treat the boards with a fungicide (like for lawns and shrubs), or some other chemical, prior to finishing? I’m thinking of finishing the final piece with a three-part oil finish. I have some beautiful curly, spalted, air-dried maple boards that I want to incorporate into an indoor project.
0 kommentar(er)
