Should I work with a spalted log green or dry?

mmh,
I’ll tell you what my experience has been and you can take it for what it’s worth. When I get logs from trees that recently fell, I don’t wait to work the wood. I saw an episode of “The Woodwright’s Shop” where he split a log through the center and then split a pie shaped wedge off of one of the halves. This is the definition of “quarter sawn” wood. His comment was something to the effect that quarter sawn wood that is cut at ninety degrees to the growth rings like this doesn’t move when it dries enough to worry about and is ready to work immediately.

So, I went and bought a froh and a wedge and a large hammer and split some of my logs. I can tell you that the wood I cut at ninety degrees hardly moved at all as it dried. I can also tell you that no matter what kind of wood you’re splitting, it’s hard work, and I mean hard. But, quarter sawn wood is always a sight to behold.

Good luck,

-- Jim

I would let it dry…and use good breathing protection when working with it. Being spalted it will not be quite as hard to work dry.There are many great green woodworking techniques out there http://www.greenwoodworking.com/ . I just prefer working with dry wood, no surprises later after hours of labor and the thing blows up from green to dry.

-- http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

Hmmm, Thank you for the advise. It looks like I’m in for a good project here. Maybe I’ll wait for a nice cool day when I feel I need a good upper body work out. I may need to eat more “Wheaties” and beef up a bit.

I would like to try to work with green wood, but then again there is the checking issue. It will probably come down to just being the right time in my life to start this project, or when I don’t want to be stuck doing house chores! (“Sorry Honey, I forgot to make dinner as I was outside riving a log.”) Actually my husband would understand. He’d just have me order Chinese or Sushi to go.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Thanks a lot Daren. That’s going to cost me another three hours of reading. LOL.

Good luck mmh. I can’t wait to see the results.

-- Jim

There are a few issues here…

First of all you said that it would “need to be hefty to be strong.” Spalting does not effect the strength of wood. Rotting does. Thats the thing about spalting… it has to be caught at just the right point in time. Too much time and it starts to rot. As soon as that happens, it doesn’t matter how “hefty” you make it, it is pretty much garbage unless you trim the rot off. But as long as it is not rotten, a spalted board should be perfectly strong.

Like you said, spalting is coloration from fungus growth in the wood. This fungus needs a certain moisture content to thrive. If it dries out, it will stop growing and therefore not turn into rot. If the moisture content of the wood ever increased enough in the future, it would actually start to grow again. You don’t need to try to “kill” the fungus with any chemicals. As soon as the wood dries it will be dormant.

As far as working with it green or dry, it depends on how you intend to work it. Use the same logic you would on any piece of wood. If you intend to turn it, leave it wet. Then when you are done it will dry and the spalting will stabilize. If you intend to cut boards out of it, treat it just like any wood. Cut them rough, sticker them to dry and paint the end grain to reduce checking, and then when dry do the final milling.

-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us