Can I keep it?

[Stonewoodiron]

Hi everyone! I’ve been reading and enjoying posts/discussions on this site for about a month now- very helpful.
The compulsion to cut wood into beautiful slabs and lumber with dangerous saws and homemade/specialized devices cam over me just after Christmas. Let’s see where this road goes, eh?!
I have attached photos are the 2 inch thick oak slab that I cut two hours ago neighbors house. You will notice some beautiful spalting on the cambium layer (correct info to my limited knowledge). I scraped away with a chisel the softest parts. I would love to dry this piece as is. Is this possible? Thanks for your help!

 

[mike515]

It might get a little soft or rot away but what have you got to lose? You can always rip the board and keep the good part if it doesn't work. You already have it cut. Worst case scenario.....it becomes fire wood.

That said....I'm a professional tree guy not a pro sawmill guy. I just mess around on our mill as a hobby when I have the time.

 

[Stonewoodiron]

It might get a little soft or rot away but what have you got to lose? You can always rip the board and keep the good part if it doesn't work. You already have it cut. Worst case scenario.....it becomes fire wood.

That said....I'm a professional tree guy not a pro sawmill guy. I just mess around on our mill as a hobby when I have the time.

Sounds like a good course of action, appreciate your time

 

[ATH]

That is sapwood. The cambium is just a few cells thick right under the bark. But that technicality aside, is that solid now?

You may already know this: spalting indicates they decay has started. The black lines are kind of like "lines of demarcation" between two different decay fungi working the wood...so the wood is already decaying. The challenge is catching it after the color change has taken place, but before they have decayed enough material to soften the wood. Once you do that and kiln dry it, you kill the fungi and should be good. I suspect if it is solid now, it will be good for interior use. Oak sapwood is not nearly rot resistant as heartwood, so I wouldn't leave sapwood on something intended for outdoor use even with a finish on it.

 

[Stonewoodiron]

That is sapwood. The cambium is just a few cells thick right under the bark. But that technicality aside, is that solid now?

You may already know this: spalting indicates they decay has started. The black lines are kind of like "lines of demarcation" between two different decay fungi working the wood...so the wood is already decaying. The challenge is catching it after the color change has taken place, but before they have decayed enough material to soften the wood. Once you do that and kiln dry it, you kill the fungi and should be good. I suspect if it is solid now, it will be good for interior use. Oak sapwood is not nearly rot resistant as heartwood, so I wouldn't leave sapwood on something intended for outdoor use even with a finish on it.

Thank you for the technical clarification! Going to need a lot of that The softest parts that would come off (with a homemade, shave your fingernail sharp scraper) are off. The remainder is “hard” This would be an inside piece- thinking stand alone table There’s a long list of things then I’m going to use this self milled lumber for. Honestly though, I’m having so much fun making it and learning about it that if I don’t do anything with it, that’s ok too! Is there any other way to arrest/kill the fungus? I currently have a thick layer of baking soda on a spalted piece of Beech as an experiment. Also, thinking about hydrogen peroxide. I don’t have kiln access but I’m willing to build either a solar kiln or a smaller humidification chamber in my garage. Right now it’s winter in Maryland so I don’t expect any decay until spring. Appreciate your time!

 

[ATH]

Even if it is not an "official" solar kiln, you can put it under black plastic in the sun...even in winter it may get hot enough. But you have to be very careful doing this without venting because you can overheat the wood. You might also look into paying to have it kiln dried. This improves stability of the finished product as well.

You might also look into treating with borates if you aren't going to dry it...this will kill bugs, and probably fungus. https://www.taskmasters3.com/Restoration-Articles/borat-treatments.php

 

[Stonewoodiron]

Thank you. Borates seem like a great idea. I like how they are readily available, have little to no toxicity to humans, and are inexpensive. May have to “bite the bullet” and pay to have them kiln dried while I build a solar setup.