Thread: Spalted timber - what a waste!

Free wood takes on a new meaning..... in spite of it all make some spectacular boxes that will make you feel better!!

Pete

What a polite group!

I expected the first response to get this moved to the orange room. Or maybe everyone saw the 'hidden' text at the bottom "Note: this is NOT serious folks - Gotcha!"

I was given the timber and am still trying to sort out what is useable as it is mostly very thin and dressed on one side only. Some of the spalting is fantastic.

Any ideas as to what can be done with a spalted flitch about 2-3mm thick x 80mm x 1.5m, but only dressed on one side? I have a number of those but they are too thin to machine.

Groggy,
could you square up the edges with a straight edge and a power saw (or router) and then use it as a veneer?

Mick

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Groggy,
could you square up the edges with a straight edge and a power saw (or router) and then use it as a veneer?

Mick, thanks for the reply. I'll get a pic or two to explain a bit better. Most of it I have cut up as, unfortunately, there simply wasn't enough 'meat' left to work the other side - even with planes. I did try to plane one side flat enough so I could use it as veneer but holes appeared everywhere , even with a LN #62 taking micro shavings.

One of the other issues I'm having is with the triangular section of most of the pieces. The hypotenuse presents the best grain, but cutting it in that way is problematic. I'm thinking of making an adjustable rest for bandsawing it.

Pic #1 is of the typical triangular section I was talking about. If I cut it suarely I maximise the timber but lose the grain effects.

Pic#2 & 3 is the stack of offcuts, the vertical stack has been through the jointer on two sides.

Pic#4 is the first attempt at a 15mm slice on the BS. Effective enough but as I mentioned above, by quarter sawing I lose too much of the grain.

Is it worth recovering do you think? I gave up on the really thin stuff and just cut it for kindling, most of it was paper thin. I've kept anything over 5mm thick.

How would you cut that much triangular section along the hypotenuse? Any suggestions appreciated.

Groggy, there is an interesting article about a woodworker who worked with a lot of spalted timber (prior to his death) in THE TRITON WOODWORKER, May '06 edition - page 14, located under Newsletters on the Triton Woodworkers Club (Holmesglen) web site.

http://www.tritonwoodworkers.org.au/

I think you would be wise to take extra precautions when working with spalted timber.

Originally Posted by DPB

Groggy, there is an interesting article about a woodworker who worked with a lot of spalted timber (prior to his death) in THE TRITON WOODWORKER, May '06 edition - page 14, located under Newsletters on the Triton Woodworkers Club (Holmesglen) web site.

http://www.tritonwoodworkers.org.au/

I think you would be wise to take extra precautions when working with spalted timber.

Thanks Don, read and noted. Although I use a dust collector all the time I'll add a respirator mask for the major cutting I'm doing at the moment.

Originally Posted by Groggy

Mick, thanks for the reply. I'll get a pic or two to explain a bit better. Most of it I have cut up as, unfortunately, there simply wasn't enough 'meat' left to work the other side - even with planes. I did try to plane one side flat enough so I could use it as veneer but holes appeared everywhere , even with a LN #62 taking micro shavings..

I gather it'd be the same prob with a thicknessing sander? Bummer.

Oh, and in case Don didn't make the point: definitely, definitely, definitely wear a good mask when working spalted woods.


Hmmm... as for the triangular pieces, how deep is your BS fence? Any chance of holding it firmly against the fence to slice veneers/whatever instead of against the table? I've done similar with the occasional odd piece, I don't know that I'd want to process a whole batch that way though.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

definitely wear a food mask when working spalted woods.

Is it made of a burger and chips (notice I said "chips", not fries)?

Al

Groggy,
Skew's method for resawing the triangular section would be my preferred method. If, for some reason it's not possible then you may have to cut up some pine to make an angled sled to sit it on. You'd probabl need to glue the timber and the sled together to prevent them becoming projectiles.

Mick

Thanks Mick and Skew. I resawed one of them in the quartersawn direction and it was a bit of a PITA because the grain effects are lost. Looking at these pieces, I'll have to run them all over the jointer (hypotenuse face), put the face against the fence, slice on the BS, thickness it then trim to width since goth sides will have a 45deg bevel (more waste).

Then, joint the newly exposed face of remaining piece and repeat the above. If I cut to 13-14mm I should get a series of usable slices (about 3) and an offcut I can trim to make stickers from. Anything else becomes firewood.

This is going to take a while methinks...