I have a leed on some spalted maple at a small nearby mill, they are asking $5/bf. I haven’t seen the intensity of the spalting nor the extent of decay to the wood so the price is still relative to that, but my question is this: is there a difference in the long term stability of spalted maple that is air dried vs kiln dried. Assuming this material has been air dried, are there any “down the road” concerns with the stability of this material assuming it is in fine condition and relatively dry (8-12 percent) when purchased. I don’t have an immediate need for this wood, but I may purchase the material for some future work.
thanks
Aaron
Replies
keep it as dry as possible..it will get mouldy if it gets wet.Stickers are a must.
Aaron,
The spalting is the result of a mold in the wood which needs moisture to reproduce (and consume the wood). The general advice about spalted wood is that drying it to less than 14% moisture content renders the mold dormant. As long as the wood is then kept at or below that point, the mold is not supposed to actively spread.
But I have seen jewelry boxes made from properly dried spalted stock deteriorate and crumble in 5 years despite finishing with lacquer or shellac and a dry environment.
VL
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