Promoting Spalting on Fresh Cut Maple?

[Alan Mikkelsen]

I have a live Norway Maple that I need to remove for a building project. I'm a fan of spalted maple, but it's hard to find here. Could I cut the tree, buck it into 3 sections, and leave them laying on the ground, under some Chinese elms, and where there are various mushrooms that grow naturally, and expect the logs to pick up some spalting? Could I do anything to promote spalting, such as peeling some bark or sawing some shallow grooves with a chainsaw? I live in a fairly dry climate, humidity wise, and we get about 13-14" of precipitation a year, counting snow, but I can keep the logs damp with sprinkler irrigation 3-5 times a summer.

Any ideas out there? Thanks

[Scott T Smith]

Hi Alan.

To promote spalting, saw the logs in the spring or early summer, buck them to length, and leave them lying on the ground. Don't end seal them either (to accelerate the process).

Moisture and heat helps to encourage the spalting process. Plan on leaving them there for about a year before milling.

[Chris Kennedy]

There was a Popular Woodworking article on this. I don't remember how long (in the last couple of years), and their website isn't yielding something. If I have some time tonight, I'll try to look through some old issues.

Cheers,

Chris

[Tony De Masi]

Check with Steve Schlumpf in the turning forum. He spalts a bit of his own woods.

Tony

[Seri Robinson]

Hi,

You'll speed the process greatly if you buck into smaller sections. It takes time for the fungi to get through the wood, so if you want spalting quickly (and all the way through), make it as easy for them as possible.

Leave the bark on - it helps keep the moisture in the wood. Shallow grooves won't help. If you're going to leave them outside there is little you can do to speed the process other than bucking into smaller sections. If you bring them indoors you can take months off the process by keeping them warm, wet, and dark.

You may be interested in this blog on Fine Woodworking:
http://www.finewoodworking.com//blog/woodworking-life/tag/spalting

The blog has pretty much everything you need to know.