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Spalted woods. Which wood to spalt?

October 3, 2017 /

Which wood to spalt?

Spalted Beech bowl
Oops, nearly went too far!! Spalted Beech bowl. The brown patch in the middle is the only place where the wood hasn’t been affected by the fungi. Also note the blue colour, sometimes completely surrounded by a black line.

Beech is by far the easiest wood to spalt well. It almost always ends up with black line and distinctly different colours. This bowl shows only one area left with the wood in its natural state. All the rest has been affected by fungi. I don’t know how many different ones. It was at the very limit of having enough structural integrity to work. Even with the gauge straight off the grinder it was difficult not to get tear out on the end grain. This wood had been left outside in all weathers for a year and a few months. It was a large tree and most of the rest of this plank was perfectly spalted (though sadly I didn’t take any photos and the bowls have gone!). However, it would have been better if I’d worked it a bit sooner. I also put some under shavings outside. I turned one piece after a few  months and it had hardly started spalting. Now, it is a bit over done!

Spalted sycamore bowl
Spalted sycamore bowl
Spalted oak bowl
Spalted oak bowl

Ash will spalt with the beautiful black lines but it isn’t as consistant as beech. Oak can get darker which is beautiful, but eventually there are white specks and soft pockets. Sycamore tends to go grey but can be a soft and beautiful colour.

 

 

thinly turned walnut bowl
thinly turned walnut bowl. Turned fresh/green
Natural edge walnut bowl. Spalted wood
This is the same Walnut having been left in the weather for six months or so.

I was given a Walnut tree. The only walnut I’d turned before was black walnut. Imagine my disapointment when I turned this bowl, so pale, the colour so insignificant. I am afraid I just left the rest of the tree lying in the yard, only for six months. Honest. And when I turned more this was what I got. Isn’t it lovely?

I had a similar experience with horse chestnut. Very plain grained when it was green but leave it out to weather for a few months and it was like a pale marble. Beautiful.

 

Burr Elm bowl. Half spalted. Sometimes it works out wonderfully!

Elm is probably one of the most disappointing woods to spalt as it just tends to lose its colour, integrity and vibrancy. But if it has only just started it might be ok or even enhance a bowl by the contrast. But certainly not worth deliberately doing.

This tree was hollow and rotten in the middle which is why there is such a clear contrast between the spalted and the good wood. I am sure if this had spalted after felling it wouldn’t have been so nice.