# is this spalt or white rot ?



## phinds (Dec 3, 2012)

I got some nice European beech from Mike (Healydays) and the pics are up on my site.

I have a question about one of the pieces. It is shown below. It's all speckled with white dots. Now beech normally has black line spalting but I'm wondering if this is some other form of spalting (and it IS European beech, not American, so that might make a difference) or white rot? I'm leaning towards white rot but I wonder if anyone here has any experiece with this.

[attachment=14314]

Thanks for any info.

Paul


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## West River WoodWorks (Dec 3, 2012)

phinds said:


> I got some nice European beech from Mike (Healydays) and the pics are up on my site.
> 
> I have a question about one of the pieces. It is shown below. It's all speckled with white dots. Now beech normally has black line spalting but I'm wondering if this is some other form of spalting (and it IS European beech, not American, so that might make a difference) or white rot? I'm leaning towards white rot but I wonder if anyone here has any experiece with this.
> 
> ...




Hi Paul,
I have some beech that looks exactly the same. My opinion is it is how this wood spalts, it changes colors and gets these white spots. The spots are somewhat punky compared to the surrounding wood.
I like to use it when I am going for a rustic look.
Here is a picture frame I made using this wood.
[attachment=14315]
Tom


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## healeydays (Dec 3, 2012)

This wood is hard as a rock to me but Paul would know better. It has been drying for a couple years according to the arborist I got it from. Most of the pieces had this spotting and that was part of the reason I bought a bunch of these. The pieces I bought were 10 ft long and 20 inches wide and that was 1/2 the size of the tree. I did pick up a piece with less spotage and that's what I'm sending to Jean when he gets a chance.


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## phinds (Dec 3, 2012)

Joe Rebuild said:


> Is it punky?



The piece as a whole is hard as a rock but I can dent the white areas w/ my fingernail. Not punky, but soft.


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## healeydays (Dec 3, 2012)

Heh Paul,

You maxed out on your PMs 

Need to delete some old mail


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## healeydays (Dec 3, 2012)

Joe Rebuild said:


> healeydays said:
> 
> 
> > This wood is hard as a rock to me but Paul would know better. It has been drying for a couple years according to the arborist I got it from. Most of the pieces had this spotting and that was part of the reason I bought a bunch of these. The pieces I bought were 10 ft long and 20 inches wide and that was 1/2 the size of the tree. I did pick up a piece with less spotage and that's what I'm sending to Jean when he gets a chance.
> ...



I had to trim off maybe 4 inches of the bottom and top to get rid of some blackish punky, but that was about it. The section where the white spots are is solid. I can't put a fingernail in any of the spots or surrounding wood.


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## phinds (Dec 3, 2012)

healeydays said:


> I had to trim off maybe 4 inches of the bottom and top to get rid of some blackish punky, but that was about it. The section where the white spots are is solid. * I can't put a fingernail in any of the spots or surrounding wood*.



Yeah, what I put my fingernail into what not a spot itself but the elongated crosssection of one as it ran parallel to the rays.


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## phinds (Dec 3, 2012)

healeydays said:


> Heh Paul,
> 
> You maxed out on your PMs
> 
> Need to delete some old mail



OK, will do


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## healeydays (Dec 3, 2012)

Paul, come to think of it, did I give you one of the end cutoffs that wasn't too bad?





healeydays said:


> Joe Rebuild said:
> 
> 
> > healeydays said:
> ...


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## phinds (Dec 3, 2012)

healeydays said:


> Paul, come to think of it, did I give you one of the end cutoffs that wasn't too bad?



Don't know what you mean. Pics of everything you sent are up on the site.


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## healeydays (Dec 3, 2012)

Guys,

I sent the guy I bought the lumber from to get his opinion on it and ask what the condition of the tree was when he took it down. He has another section he was going to slab in the spring and I already told him I want first dibs.


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## healeydays (Dec 4, 2012)

I talked to my arborist and a couple other guys today and everyone believes that it is early white rot we are seeing in this wood causing the spotting.


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## phinds (Dec 4, 2012)

healeydays said:


> I talked to my arborist and a couple other guys today and everyone believes that it is early white rot we are seeing in this wood causing the spotting.



Great info. Thanks Mike.


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## healeydays (Dec 5, 2012)

If anyone is interested in any for a project, let me know. I have a few extra BF...


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## The Wood Bucket (Jan 2, 2013)

I had some Black Birch That looked like that. It turned very well.


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## healeydays (Aug 5, 2013)

Dr_Spalting, do you have a diagnosis for us?


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## phinds (Aug 5, 2013)

healeydays said:


> Dr_Spalting, do you have a diagnosis for us?



Seri, if you do want to take a look at this, the pics on my site are much better and more extensive than what I posted here.

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/beech.htm

EDIT: now that I think about it, you don't even need to take a look, do you. The question was "is this spalt or white rot" and you've already answered that elsewhere. The answer is "yes" (= you can call it spalt or you can call it white rot since white rot is a form of spalting).


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## Kevin (Aug 5, 2013)

I think it's rotten white spalting, taken off the assembly line just before the black racing stripes were added. 

:morning2:


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## healeydays (Aug 5, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I think it's rotten white spalting, taken off the assembly line just before the black racing stripes were added.
> 
> :morning2:



You got me...


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## phinds (Aug 5, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I think it's rotten white spalting, taken off the assembly line just before the black racing stripes were added.
> 
> :morning2:



Clearly the goal here is to show Seri what a class act we are


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## Kevin (Aug 5, 2013)

phinds said:


> Kevin said:
> 
> 
> > I think it's rotten white spalting, taken off the assembly line just before the black racing stripes were added.
> ...



She's just a regular Joe Jane who knows a lot about fungus. When she wants to interact with stuffed shirts she'll go to a faculty meeting. She's a free spirit like just like most of us. No big deal.

And Paul, we may joke a lot, but we're darn sure a class act here.


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## phinds (Aug 5, 2013)

Kevin said:


> And Paul, we may joke a lot, but we're darn sure a class act here.



Well, I've got class and you're an act ... glad we agree :rotflmao3:


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## healeydays (Aug 5, 2013)

Paul,

We all know you are a man of class as you have 6 stars after your name. Poor Kevin has that lowly 1 star.


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## phinds (Aug 5, 2013)

healeydays said:


> Paul,
> 
> We all know you are a man of class as you have 6 stars after your name. Poor Kevin has that lowly 1 star.



Hey, I never noticed that. What's that all about? I mean, I know its deserved and all but ... ?


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## healeydays (Aug 5, 2013)

Good question, this came up awhile ago and even Kevin didn't have an answer...


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