making my own spaulted lumber.

[opticsguy]

Approaching my golden years and in need of spalted wood.  I have read about burying logs for a few years to get some spaulting, dont want to wait so long . . .   How about pre-cutting my maple (and possibly Alder) into boards and then bury these into dirt and mulch and other slimy goo?  How long is this process?

I live in NW Washington State.

Thoughts and recommendations and any first-hand experience?

[SPIKER]

I've gotten most of mine by procrastination, dropping the logs in the woods in slight clearings where weeds grow and stays wet.   I didn't add to many pics to the FF gallery but here is one showing some of the Elm.   



The Red Oak had a lot more spalting & it sat down in woods still (4 summers) on stump (blow overs) so not laying on dirt but grown over with weeds fast.   They could have gone 5 summers...

Mark

[beenthere]

opticsguy
What might be your chances of finding someone else's log pile by looking and asking around to see who may have old logs stacked up and spalted? Abandoned farms maybe? Small sawmills not running anymore maybe? Farm woods pushed back or cut to enlarge farm land or pasture maybe?

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Spalting is done by a white rot fungus.  You can inoculate the logs with the spores of a white rot fungus and then expect to see splating (in the sapwood) within three warm months.  The fungus to use is the shiitake mushroom and then you will also get some very tasty mushrooms for eating too.  You can buy the inoculating spawn and then put it in the logs with a few holes.  Then keep the logs from drying out and where it is not too cold.  I saw that at Amazon you can buy 100 plugs for $14, and there are other places that sell them too, so the cost is pretty good.

[WDH]

Get some eye of newt and a frog poultice.  Spalting can involve a little witchcrafty. 

[OneWithWood]

Get some eye of newt and a frog poultice.  Spalting can involve a little witchcrafty. 

I prefer larks tongues in aspic...

[Jim_Rogers]

You may not need to cover the lumber with dirt.

I fellow bought some maple from me years and years ago. And some of it wasn't spaulted enough for him. So he told me it didn't matter. He was going to take them home and lay them on the ground and cover them with leaves and let them set there for a few months. He said this would induce some spaulting.

Jim Rogers

[5quarter]

I have a sawdust pile where I keep spalting logs. I just pulled out 4 hackberry logs that have been stewing for 26 months. I sawed one of them today...definitely worth the wait. I have never seen anyone get satisfactory results by sawing first and dead stacking the boards. Beenthere had a great suggestion; try to find some downed and 1/2 rotted trees.

[BBTom]

Are you guys talking about old rotten maple lumber like the stuff in these pictures?



 



 



 



 



 



 

[thecfarm]

You have a goldmine there,if it's solid.

[5quarter]

spalting soft maple...drop the tree on Memorial day, saw it up on Labor day. gotta love it!

[SPIKER]

HEY BBTom those are no good for sure, I'll stop by and pick em up to save ya the trouble of disposing of them yourself ;) ; :D :D   Had not seen you around in long time, gonna do some Sugaring this spring, down to a few quarts of my last run 2 years ago...   
How the LT40 running?   Did ya ever sell the friends LT70?

Mark M

[ET]

 I hope the pic of turkey tail fungus came through; anyway I've heard that making a slurry of the fungus and then pouring it over your log then setting in damp shady location will cause spalting.

Turkey tail fungas grows everywhere in the woods and is easy to get. Ive not tried it yet myself. Good luck!



  

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