Part time lurker finally posting some PICS

[David M Peters]

Thanks for the information, Dave! After each examination slice do you re-coat with Anchorseal?

[CHARLES D Richards]

yes, David. sorry forgot to add that part

[John K Jordan]

Excellent! I'll add this message (and pictures) to my file. I recently got some sugar maple logs that I want to try spalting.

[Ted Calver]

Beautiful wood, beautifully executed! Looks like you have plenty of land to play on too.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Yes Ted, we live out in the boonies on 132 acres. I try not to cut my own trees unless they have already fallen or standing dead. There's always plenty of wood in our area plus I always look for contruction sites that are clearing lots, sound of chain saws, etc.

[John K Jordan]

... I try not to cut my own trees unless they have already fallen or standing dead. ...

I agree with that philosophy. I only use trees from my property that come down by themselves or have to be removed for some reason. I feel sorry for turners who live in the desert - living in the "hardwood belt" there's always far more free wood than can ever be used. An adjoining landowner is clearing woods for pasture for cattle and making huge bonfires with the trees. He invited me to mark any trees I wanted and he puts those logs into piles for skidding.

JKJ

[Steve Eure]

Charles, I live not too far from you as "the crow flies", as they say. A little unincorporated town of Elmodel, Ga. (pronounced Elm-odel) It is a very small hole in the road community on Hwy. 37 in Baker Co. between Leary and Newton, Ga. I have had great success spalting Chinaberry. It takes only a few months under a tarp on the ground. I unintentionally found that out after I turned some green, dried in my kiln, then finished turning. Although those bowls were nice, they were nothing compared to what happen next. After a few months, I took another log, and too my surprise, it was heavily spalted. They turned out beautiful. Those are the ones that everyone wants.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Yep, Steve, for me, it seems to be better not to push mother nature too hard and let her have her way with the spalting. As you can see from the pecan end pieces I posted, what a difference the last 30 days made.

If you're ever heading south on I-75 stop by and we can share turning info

[Lamar Wright]

Very nice work Charles! I love to turn spalted Maple. Your spalting process is identical to mine. Beautiful pieces indeed.

[CHARLES D Richards]

Thanks Lamar

[Alex Zeller]

Spaulting is one of those things that either you are in the right location and have the right species or not. This is the only picture I have (the wife sent it the day after I gave her the bowl) but it's yellow birch that had sat on the ground for about a year and a half. The outer sapwood that was touching the ground had already started to rot. There's some spaulting going on but not a lot. I guess that's the price I pay for living where the temps could drop to -40 in the middle of winter. The Beech around here just rots while standing.
spaulted.jpg