Rot v. Spalting

[Steve H Graham]

I know this is a stupid question, but how do I tell spalting from plain old rot? My guess was that if wood is sound enough to be worked, it's spalted, but if it crumbles, you call it rotten and throw it out.

The wood I'm salvaging from the trash has some vivid red areas that are clearly getting ready to rot, but they seem pretty hard. I'm wondering if they may be usable once the wood is dry.

Also, while I was picking a log up to resaw it today, a frog fell out. And I had to sweep some termites out into the driveway.

[Jeff Willard]

In nutshell, spalting is rot. It it fungal decay that if left to do it's work, will result in the piece of wood just crumbling in your fingers. When the wood dries, the spores that consume the wood become dormant-somewhere around 18% moisture content. If the wood seems to be sound, work it.

[Steve H Graham]

Man, maybe this trashpile has turned out to be a real find.

[george wilson]

Take care to NOT BREATHE spalted wood's dust. It can be very bad for your lungs,as it is fungus.

[Steve H Graham]

Okay, so it would have been good to know that before I sawed the logs up.

I'm not dying am I?

[Jarrod McGehee]

You might be. ha lets hope not cuz I want to see how that Mahogany turns out after it's worked.

[george wilson]

Turning the wood while it is green helps to not breathe spores.

[Paul Downes]

Black line spalt is caused by the borders between fungal colonies in the wood. For small pieces like pen blanks you can soak CA glue into the punky areas to harden it.

[Cody Colston]

Catching the wood at the right condition where maximum spalting has occurred but the wood is still sound is as much luck as anything. Sometimes you end up with beautiful stock and other times you end up with just rotten wood.

The danger from breathing spalted wood dust is greatly exaggerated, IMHO. If you go outside, you will be breathing those spores as they are always present in the air. That's why any wood will spalt in the right conditions without having to introduce the fungal spores. While it makes sense to wear a dust mask when working with it in an enclosed area, I wouldn't be too concerned when sawing it up outside.

I turn a lot of spalted wood and while I don't wear any sort of dust mask when turning, I do run my DC when sanding it on the lathe.

[Jeff Willard]

I'm not dying am I?

The bad news-yes.

The good news-you aren't suffering from any condition that everyone else on the planet isn't.