One last hoorah!

[Deadwood]

Nothing amazes me or gives me more respect than that of a forest. A working forest especially, but that is for another post.

I am not sure how many of you are familiar with Spalted Wood, but it is woods way of giving one more horrah before the wood is completed digested by the ecosystem of the forest floor. For any of you who are not familair with this wood, it basically is rotted wood. The amazing lines and streaks are caused by the wood fibers breaking down in decomposition leaving behind the mineral streaks the wood has goobled up for so many years. It would be pleasant enough if it was only one single wood species, but so many can do this that it really is a phenomon. Beech/Apple/Ash/Oak/Maple just to name a few!

As a woodworker, I find Spalted Wood difficult to work with as it is very brittle, unforgiving and is teeming with surprises. Still it's beauty is well worth the effort. I wait for months, sometimes years waiting for the tell-tale signs of mushrooms and black fungas to indicate that beauty is indeed just under the surface. As with anything, patience ussually pays off.

In order to make this post legal I must ask a question instead of just editoralizing, and thus it is this. What else do you know of that gives humans so much gratification after death? Certain no animal carcasses count, and despite what my new bride says, those dried flowers do not count for much either. To me anyway, it's truly intriguing how Spalted Wood can offer themselves up as one beautiful gift to mankind just before turning to dirt.

[Gilman]

Grits  ;D

[Tom]

Feel a little Free'er, Deadwood.  You may have noticed that aren't as stiff necked as some forums.  We know that sometimes someone has something to say rather than ask a question.  That's OK.  We all learn that way and none here think we know it all.

Yes, Spalted wood is well known here.  We aren't just in the business of "killing" trees but appreciate the beauty and and structural use of it all.  We have members trying to create their own Spalt since nature doesn't always provide enough at the right time.  We also have members working in some of the lesser known woody products, like grape vine.  

Got some Pictures?  

Here are just a 'few' that members have put on the gallery
that show spalt and other grain.  

[SwampDonkey]

What else do you know of that gives humans so much gratification after death? Certain no animal carcasses count, and despite what my new bride says, those dried flowers do not count for much either. To me anyway, it's truly intriguing how Spalted Wood can offer themselves up as one beautiful gift to mankind just before turning to dirt.

Grits   ;D

That's always the short answer to them warm, passionate, phylosophical questions. Some folks just get warm, passionate and phylosophical over Grits. :D You'll see when you dig deeper into the forum. ;D

[Paschale]

Nice post, deadwood.  What comes to mind to me...are wine, cheese, beer and any type of alcohol.  They all, in their own way, deal with the death of something, and the birth of something even greater.  Fermenting grape juice is in essence rotting, much like the dead wood that brings us the beauty of spalted wood.  And milk left to sour, well, the world's a much richer place because man learned how to tame that!  And rotting grain, particular barley--well, life is richer because of it.   Here's to the wonder of nature's demise, transformed into stuff that we all can enjoy!  

[SwampDonkey]

My brother......well he found his way to my little stash in the barn when I wasn't looking and got his hands on some of my spalted yellow birch for his gun case. I didn't get no spalted birch guncase :D :D

[Bro. Noble]

We sawed some spalted redoak today,  We cut a lot of red oak that is dying and has worm and stain damage,  but don't ofted find it spalted.

Tom,  Speak for yourself when you say none of us think we know everything :D :D :D

[Tom]

I was just trying to keep SOKIA secret, Br'er Noble. :D

[Paul_H]

We sawed some spalted redoak today, 

Noble,I hate to correct you in front of everybody but I think you should have said "We seen some spalted redoak today"   ;)

[Corley5]

I cut two standing maple stems of about 14"DBH that had the tops blown out in a storm about 3 years ago.  They both had spalt and both are now in the wood sheds waiting their turn to make heat ;) ;D

[DanG]

Yep, Travis, we love spalted wood here.  But that ain't the only thing that gives pleasure after its death.  Take yer basic pig, fer instance.  For such a slovenly and stinking beast, he sure does take on a different countenance on the grill, or in the breakfast skillet.  Only time he does himself prouder is on the plate!

[woodbowl]

I ran across this recipe for spalting wood using horse pooky, oak leaves and two cans of beer. ;D   Has anyone had any success with anything like this?    http://www.woodcentral.com/russ/russ4.shtml

[Deadwood]

Glad you guys did not think my post was too "nutty." and I am glad you are a bit more free on what you allow for posts. One thing I like to do on Forums is to make people think, and to add a little humor to stuff. Not to change what the forum is about per se, but to just add a little twist on things.

Myself, I never thought of pigs, wine or alcohol as being a benefactor of death as well. Nice thought. In fact at my wedding my new Father-In-Law gave us a bottle of Rum that he bought while he was stationed in Spain for the US Coast Guard. He bought it the day his daughter/ my new bride was born. We are hoping to keep that bottle of old Rum until our children get married. Kinmd of a nice new family tradition we thought.

[iain]

Try  looking at some of your spalted under ultra voilet light

some work some are just the some


iain

[Deadwood]

I have worked with Sumac some and found that under a black light bulb the wood glows in the dark. Some people are allergic to the sap of the wood, but I have always been careful, kept all skin covered until the wood was dry and had no problems. I did a post back on the Wood OnlineForum about a whole list of wood species that glow in the dark. I should try to find that and post it here for the heck of it. I would look now, but I am at work and have a computer that is one step above a computer antique. As is, I have been online far to long and have tied up the phone line here as well. As much as I love chatting about logging and lumber, I better get some of these locomotives hauling paper from the papermills out of Maine as well.

[Bro. Noble]

We sawed some spalted redoak today, 

Noble,I hate to correct you in front of everybody but I think you should have said "We seen some spalted redoak today"   ;)

See there, Tom,  some of these guys think they know everything :

[Tom]

Not to change what the forum is about per se, but to just add a little twist on things.

YOu have to be careful about twisting here.  We're already a little twisted and could end up straightened out. ;D


Yes, I know, Br'er Noble, but, I also know that you haven't told them "everything" yet.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

As much as I love chatting about logging and lumber, I better get some of these locomotives hauling paper from the papermills out of Maine as well.

We lost some of our rail lines to local mills here (Upper River Valley Line) soon after the 87 flood. I can remember the school bus stopping at all crossings, now there's only kids to stop for as they board. We had a siding just 5 miles away at a feed mill. Transport trucks put them out of business and the fact that your produce (mainly potatoes) would freeze while the cars left at the siding would not be tended by the rail service. You had to send someone down there (mainly yourself) to look after the heaters. And it was always a pain to have to man handle sacs of potatoes 2 or 3 times between potato shed, trucks and the rail cars. My uncle used to get a job after school on the line, his uncle used to be a foreman. From what my uncle told me about the work ethic of most employees he was around it's no wonder the company closed the line. Dad and I took a ride yesterday and went down to the Nackawick Siding Road and couldn't figure out why a siding was so far away from any town. Besides that, it was a long, rough way to go by horse and wagon. We were surprised to see people living quite a way in off the pavement. It didn't look to prosperous an area to us.

[Bro. Noble]

Yes, I know, Br'er Noble, but, I also know that you haven't told them "everything" yet.  :D

Well If I told them "everything" then they would be as smart as us :D :D

[Deadwood]

I don't know, I would be kind of gentle when you are talking about us Railroaders that way. TN Logger and I might just have to go on up there and show you a thing or two... >:(   Of course that might require us to do some walking, some moving even, heck maybe even a little work. We would not want to do that, I mean after all we are Railroaders. :P

I will not get into a Railroader versus a Non-Railroader issue here, but I will say this. You really only have to get burned by the carrier a few times and you realize they do some odd stuff. After awhile you just go along with the flow. Any other industry would probably go belly up, but the railroad runs that way because they want it too.

My family's railroad history goes back for several generations, including my Grandmother who worked for the Railroad back in the 30's. Today the pay is good though, and the job is steady, but best of all the Health Benefits are the best...literally in Maine anyway.

[tnlogger]

wal now seeing as I am totaly confused with all the dips and do's,twists and turns on this here tread. and still havn't figged it out.
Tarvis let me know when and we'll teach den yankee's what for  ;D
And ya see Travis an't no yankee cause anyone born north and east of Wisscasset Maine is a DownEaster witch is a complete culture in it self. As fer myself I can claim to be a true blood DownEaster as I was born on the ferry half way from Islesboro to Lincolnville Me.  :D :D :D :D :D :D

[sawguy21]

 :D :D :D :D Three generations of my mom's family worked for the New York Central in Ontario. It and several other American lines crossed at Niagara and back at Detroit instead of using the long route around Lake Erie. My grandfather was a railroader and DanG proud of it. I remember being fascinated in the roundhouse

[pappy]

cause anyone born north and east of Wisscasset Maine is a DownEaster witch is a complete culture in it self.

eh yuh  ;)

[tnlogger]

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[SwampDonkey]

Well, we miss the railroad for sure. Now we have this thing called a trail system where the tracks once were. Hardly a sole uses that to walk on, I've walked it for miles any time of the day and rarely see anyone. Now before the 1980's I remember alot of folks walked and road bikes. What happened? It's sure not because the cars and gas are cheaper. It's funny, if you factor in inflation, the bikes are cheaper now then when I was a kid. Almost looks to me that people are either afraid of the sun or afraid of being seen. Shrugg!  :-\

[SwampDonkey]

Found this offering off Ebay about American locomotives.

Ebay Link

[Paschale]

My grandfather worked on the Soo Lines up in Escanaba as a mechanic.  My dad's convinced that he worked on the engine that's sitting right there off the side of the road on US-2 near Gladstone.  That was his home base, and he worked on a lot of engines in there apparently.  I sure would've loved to have seem him at it!