# maple Log showing Red Patches



## badboi (Mar 24, 2011)

I am working on a project where I took a Maple log and debarked it. However, after a few hours I began to notice the log developed red areas.

Why is this happening and how get it so those red areas dont show through?


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Sure is pretty, are you sure that is maple? :blink:


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

i would embrace it. if thats all the way through the wood, would be great for turning.


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## badboi (Mar 24, 2011)

well, this piece is an outdoor bench

so we really liked the white wood but those red patches are disturbing - haha


on another topic, we were going to oil it or perhaps stain it so its even whiter - any suggestions? It will be permanently outdoor so we wanted it to last for many years.

thanks


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

That may be a HVRWM (highly valuable red & white maple) log. :yes:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Can you post a picture of the end ? 



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## badboi (Mar 24, 2011)

here is the end of the log shots


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Not sure what to say. Are you going to butcher that thing with a chainsaw then ?...and if you want ''white'' maple I have plenty...I'll trade even up . Heck maple is not even a good wood choice for an outdoor bench, it rots easy, white oak/black locust/cedar/mulberry/osage/others...would be better. I think you have a little more there than you realize, that is a ''special'' log IMO. It's yours so do whatever you want, split it for firewood...If I had it I would mill it on my bandsaw into beautiful maple lumber. (google image search ambrosia maple if you are not familiar with it-pretty sure that is what you have there)

And I am moving this thread to our ''milling'' section.

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## badboi (Mar 24, 2011)

Well, 

We were given the log as a gift and were told it was a Maple log. At the time we did not know it was a 'special' log. Also, as we knew this was an outdoor piece we couldn't find a suitable log in our area and went for the log you see here. This log was cut from Ontario.

I am not sure of its Ambrosia Maple because from my reading it would be "blue,gray, or brown markings"

Any suggestions on staining to be white making it suitable for outdoor use?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

badboi said:


> Any suggestions on staining to be white making it suitable for outdoor use?


:wallbash:



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## cw log&veneer (Mar 7, 2011)

you aren t going to get much white wood ,big hearted ,wormy maple log


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Daren said:


> :wallbash:.


I haven't laughed this hard for quite awhile! :laughing:

When I am done laughing I think I'll cry for a bit. 

Poor log.


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Lol OY I would not use that as a bench.. And "white stain"..maple is almost a white as it gets besides sycamore. I def agree with the ambrosia maple.. I would almost bet 3 walnut logs on it!! Ya that's gonna rot eventually. Like daren said.. Poor log


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## badboi (Mar 24, 2011)

Sorry guys,

We had limited resources to find the prefect outdoor long. We did try to source cedar but we couldnt find one large enough

so given the fact we have this Maple log, What steps can we do to make it last if it is an outdoor piece?

We dont mind if it weathers like logs you often see on a beach but we are worried of mold and rot. Ideas?

In regards to the Ambrosia Maple....is the red just fungus that will eventually die off or is it permanent. The odd thing was when we cut the log is was white then in a few hours the red marks came through

thanks alot


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Those marks are permanent.. I would def seal the ends first and just use maybe Cabot deck poly maybe?


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

badboi, the reason we all gasp at what you propose is ambrosia maple commands a higher price than regular old maple usually because of it's natural beauty. It is loved by woodworkers and woodturners alike. If you google ambrosia maple or contact several hardwood dealers you'll see the demand and price are higher than normal maple. Where are you located? If there is a good mill near you, and you don't need this furniture NOW, I'd say have it milled up and sell the wood. Then use the money you make off it to buy some wood or a log that suits your deck need. I can't say for sure that the log is worth a lot of money and I'm sure the sawyers would echo that, but since you are going to have it milled anyway, what's the harm? No one wants you to stain it because the ambrosia streaking is the SPECIAL detail in this wood and is usually brought out as a design feature in fine furniture with natural oils and finishes. Maybe if there is a sawyer near you they'd be willing to mill it and if it turns out as suspected, beautimonious, they might trade you some more suitable outdoor wood for it? Worth a try anyways. Good luck to you!


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## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

Good advice ACP, but somehow I don't think it will take.:no:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I still have not figured out what the plan is. Chainsaw carve a bench from this log ? (what I am thinking we are talking about) Or mill it and build one from lumber ?

What is the logs size ? (diameter and length)

We have determined maple is going to rot...Why not get a pine log, it's white-easier to work with-no more prone to rot (maybe less)-same steps needed to protect it from the elements...I know you said this was the only log you could get, IMO it would be worth trying to find a replacement. If you can't find a suitable species, well, and one is going to eventually rot...might as well be pine.

I have tried to reply to this 1/2 dozen times but kept getting long winded, ACP helped boil some of what I was going to say down. This is a woodworking forum and we as woodworkers are saddened by the thought of this particular log rotting in your back yard...When it could be milled into specialty lumber (it's a special log) and many indoor projects made from it that will last virtually forever.


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## cw log&veneer (Mar 7, 2011)

thats what i like about this site and u guys,the customers that i have worked with forever, would have no use for a peice of wood like this because they want clear straight grained wood, yall would hunt me down and flog me if you knew how much of that kind of stuff has went to the firewood pile ove r the years:no:


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Daren said:


> I still have not figured out what the plan is. Chainsaw carve a bench from this log ?


If you're talking about the chainsaw in the 1st photo, if all fairness, I think I know what's going on. Look how the crack in the pith is in relation to the saw bar in the 1st. Then see how it's turned in the 2nd so there's a flat on the bottom so it won't roll off the timber it setting on. But I do agree with all responders, Why?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

cw log&veneer said:


> would have no use for a peice of wood like this because they want clear straight grained wood,


Exactly the opposite here...they can go a few miles in any direction and get ''boring'' straight grain...but those mills (like yours) don't have anything ''special''...and special comes at a premium :yes: Ambrosia maple= 2X$ clear maple. (or curly/spalted/crotch wood...)





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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Ya I just milled at about 900bd ft of ambrosia. Man I think it's gorgeous stuffff. I almost hate to sell wood like that but BILLS


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Well I hope we didn't scare badboi off...I_ really_ want to see the inside of that log. A lot of advice was given, that is what we do here, but at the end of the day...


Daren said:


> It's yours so do whatever you want, split it for firewood.


I have seen much worse in the sawmill biz (34''x14' fiddleback maple split for firewood,I have dozens of similar stories) We all gasped like ACP said, I know mine was out of jealousy :yes:.


Daren said:


> If I had it I would mill it on my bandsaw into beautiful maple lumber.


Nobody was beating you up badboi, just trying to ''help'' if we could. So whatever you do, check back. If you make an outdoor bench from the log...show us pictures.



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