# Spalted and rainbow Poplar



## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I got a chance to saw 1 log and BAMMMMM!!! The saw went down. the idle bandwheel shaft must of taken a great shoke when drive bearing failed a while back....Praise God it broke in the wheel lock and didnt damage more (that I've seen yet). Parts are ordered and ......

WOW!!!! I got 5 beautiful boards, 4 @8/4 and center @ 16/4.
I ALMOST went TOOOOO LOOONGGGG spalting...approx 3 yrs near ground and I lost a little on one board due to stage 3 excessive growth...LOL

Here's some pics and please enjoy.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

You done did it agin'. 
Got some of that from the local sawmill.
Purdy.


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Awesomenesssss


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

It's poplar, I don't get it.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> It's poplar, I don't get it.


You just have to learn to appreciate cheap wood in a early stage of rot. :laughing:


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

It looks like the spalting only goes a short distance on the ends...both of which are checked.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Ibangwood thanks.

....for the rest I'm not sure to laugh:laughing:, say thanks :icon_smiler to pout:huh:..... so I'll count it ALL JOY and educate...

Spalting is a style some like and some don't...kinda like classic, shaker and rustic furniture, it's an opinion...ONE thing about it, NOT everyone has the knowledge to consistantly produce this type of lumber as I have, most just accidently:1eye: get it. .....cheap wood:laughing::laughing::laughing: NOT QUITE,....... some of this is in the beginning of stage 3 (rot process)....BUT most is towards the end of 2nd stage (strong black lines) but that is not the "rot" softening stage...actually strength is not compromised enough in stage 2 UNLESS used as structual/building and I'm not sure where the #'s would be. ....Spalting towards the ends and checking....the full pieces are near center cuts ( outer pieces are full) and the spalting does show in the middle BUT more towards the edges due to that's how most of it grows more from out to in...checking is usually part of the 2-3 yr process, I seal some logs but most need to be unsealed (higher check risk) for better growth. Different woods accept or reject the process differently, some grow it faster, deeper, quicker while others simply reject it.

I hope that helps the confusion of I don't get it....it's actually a LONG LONG process with great risks as nature changes it's mind everyday with moisture, humidity and temps.

Thanks, Tim


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

All of that said, the wood has a beauty that when finished out can have unique effects not seen in standard dimensional lumber. For someone like me who makes "live edged" furniture and specific pieces with unusual grains I (and folks like me) look for slabs with uniqueness. Boring straight grains have no appeal for my usage. I appreciate straight grains but it's not my bag.

So it doesn't come cheap. To put a board foot price in these particular pieces is subjective to the piece. Maybe $8 to $10 per? It all depends on regional demand and the particular need. It also depends on the stage the wood is in as well as wether it has been kilned. 
So wether it's poplar or walnut. The graining and uniqueness is key. The species becomes a secondary factor.

T.Tim has the God given eye and the patients to wait for the right cut. It's why he's been a go to source for many of the slabs and pieces I use. 
Most mills and their owners don't look for those unique cuts. 

www.gnarlywooddesigns.weebly.com


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

Tim, I just love the wood with spalting and wild grain-----

Nature at its best----

Your threads are a bright spot in my day----Thank you.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I wasn't being critical of your lumber, just noting that in the planks as pictured, most of the spalting was confined to the ends which were checked/cracked.

I do like spalted lumber for accents, mostly door panels, and the process can be as involved as one wants to make it. A log can be laid in a shady spot, left alone for a couple of years and spalting will occur naturally since the fungal spores that cause spalting are literally everywhere. You are breathing them right now if you are alive. The only "trick" is knowing when the spalting is at it's optimum but the lumber is still sound. I periodically cut a slice off the end of the log to gauge the process since different species spalt at different rates.

The black zone lines that everyone likes are caused by white-rot fungi. (different fungi create different spalting patterns/stains) To promote black lines, white-rot fungi plugs can be placed in the log at various intervals.

If you really want to learn about the spalting process, check out the web site "Northern Spalting." Seri Robinson, PhD has made it her life's work. She has conducted numerous spalting tests, both in the lab and in the field, on both clear lumber and logs. She's also written some great articles and blogs for various woodworking magazines. She can not only describe the results of different fungal spores but can tell you the how and the why.

Northernspalting.com - working at the intersection of art, science and craft


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## Allen Tomaszek (Dec 11, 2010)

Nice pieces Tim. Gosh... I leave for a little while and you fill the place up with cool wood. Nice!


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Allen Tomaszek said:


> Nice pieces Tim. Gosh... I leave for a little while and you fill the place up with cool wood. Nice!


Ha, ha, ha!!!! Thanks, but if you don't start hanging out more with your cuts we're in trouble....I can't find time to saw and now replacing the other axle and bearing. Stressed when other side bearing busted and broke while sawing.

ETWW, sorry , it's been a crazy full weekend. Thanks for the link, I've heard of her but didn't have a connection....ALLS GOOD!! Keep your saw a going and post us a few pics!!!


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## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Tennessee, hope you're back in business soon! Nice thread on spalted wood.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Tennessee Tim said:


> ETWW, sorry , it's been a crazy full weekend. Thanks for the link, I've heard of her but didn't have a connection....ALLS GOOD!! Keep your saw a going and post us a few pics!!!


 You're a good guy, Tim.

I'll get back to sawing around October when the outdoor temps aren't so brutal. I just can't take the heat anymore in my old age. :no:


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Likewise the heat is something I can't take.
Fortunately most days here rarely exceed the mid 80's. Still, if I'm out in the sun I can't handle it.
So most work I'm doing is in the shade.

Get back at it, Tim!


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