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Spalting in Oak.... I think

Started by Matrixxdg, June 10, 2019, 03:23:10 PM

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Matrixxdg

Hi All,
New to the forum and saw milling. Recently purchased a Woodland Mills HM130XL. It took two full days to build out the trailer and the saw, being a rookie at this didn't help.

I sawed an oak that was blown down during one of our recent tornadoes here in East Texas. I think it is spalted. If so, what do I need to do if anything to stabilize it? I currently have them

 

 stickered in my barn.

Great forum... thanks in advance.

MG
Woodland Mills HM130XL

Old Greenhorn

First, welcome to the forum!
 Second: seal the ends of those puppies in some way, anchor seal or some other airtight sealant. Hardwood cracks quick, sometimes it either cracks on me within hours of bucking or I can watch it split before my eyes as I mill it. There are a of experts here on this stuff, I am not one. @doc henderson has some nice posts on stack small quantities of slabs and boards with pictures, very good pictures. Go to hi profile, look under his posts back a few weeks and you should find them. Holler if you need a hand locating them.
Good luck and welcome aboard. Best of luck with the mill too!
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Matrixxdg

Thanks OG. They are sealed with Anchorseal. Do I need to do anything to stabilize the spalting? Also, when I try to access someones profile it says I do not have permission.

Thanks..MG
Woodland Mills HM130XL

Ron Wenrich

I don't think that's spalting.  Spalting usually is black streaks in the sapwood and is caused by fungi.  Are you sure its oak?  I've opened many an oak and can't remember if I've seen any like that.  
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Matrixxdg

Hi Ron, Thanks for looking. Yes it's oak. Part of a 100 + yo tree that blew down during a tornado we had in April. It did have allot of rotting in the main trunk, maybe this could the issue.

New to saw milling. Been woodworking for 20 + years but always bought my wood from someone.

Thanks...MG
Woodland Mills HM130XL

Ianab

Quote from: Matrixxdg on June 10, 2019, 04:51:20 PMAlso, when I try to access someones profile it says I do not have permission.


Reason for that is to stop spammers signing up and harvesting info / spamming members with PMs that the admins don't see. Once you make a few legit posts you automatically get that permission. 

To stabilise spalting, you generally dry the wood. Once the moisture gets below ~20% the fungus can't grow any more. But whether you would call the spalting or staining, I not sure. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Matrixxdg

Thanks Ron... I should have known that about the forum. Well we will see what happens with the wood. I am new to the sawyer side of things, but so far it's been lots of fun and a real fun learning curve.

MG
Woodland Mills HM130XL

Old Greenhorn

I don't know a lot about spalting either, but I did find THIS and learned some basics. Not all spalting has color, some is white, or light. The brown lines are called 'ZOne Lines' and it is the fungi's way of putting up a border wall (maybe that's where the concept comes from?) Anyway, I continue to learn.
I also had to go back through over 500 of Docs posts to find the thread I was thinking of, so here it is, RIGHT HERE.
 Hope this helps.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

doc henderson

Welcome to the forum.  thanks @Old Greenhorn .  it is prob fungal stain, but i agree with OG, may just be blue stain not spalting as it is usually just the outer light, less dense, sap wood.  @GeneWengert-WoodDoc is the real expert and i learned from him.  it is interesting irregardless  of the term and the fungus will die with drying although spores may persist, the stain will stay.  If this log was in a cool wet spot and you want to spalt other wood, put it in the same spot, so there are abundant spores.  Like growing mushrooms.  good luck.  i have had some highly colored oak, at least some of which was spalting.  it had been standing dead for 5 years.  
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

doc henderson

here are a few pics of some oak that is partly spalted.  it is some live edge oak, behind my wood stove as a mantle shelf, finished with poly, it came from in front of a home lived in by my wife's aunt Judy, and Nana.  in her last week of life in hospice, aunt Judy asked me to cut it down and now it goes into family stuff.  had been dead 5 years.



 



 



 



 



 



 

the above is from the same tree with some stain, for Christmas to my great niece Harper, with a letter explaining to her (@ age 2) the provenance of the wood, spanning 5 generations.  nose is maple and walnut

Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

gersus

May not be spalt but its cool either way!

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