Spalted vs Curley

[TARL01]

Hey, new follow here. I just bought a block of Spalted Maple to do pistol stocks with and I thought I'd ask - What is the actual difference between Spalted and Curley Maple?
Thanks in advance, Mike

 

Hey, new follow here. I just bought a block of Spalted Maple to do pistol stocks with and I thought I'd ask - What is the actual difference between Spalted and Curley Maple?
Thanks in advance, Mike

Spalted lumber such as maple is completely different than curley.Spalted has black streaks though it. Lumber graders will down grade spalded lumber to usually the lowset grade. I hope you didn't pay an arm and a leg for it. Forestry school said it is caused by a fungus.
Look at it here: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/maple, spalted.htm

Compared to curley maple here: http://www.curlymaple.com/softmpl.shtml

 

[TARL01]

Thanks for the quick answer. No, I only paid 25.00$ for it and it is enough for four stocks at about a 10" barrel.
But should I use it? Will it hold up under stress?
Mike

 

Many of the times it will be near the stage of punky to over kiln dried. Meaning spots of it will be very soft and dry and will be like powder when working with it.
If it were me I wouldn't use it except for firewood. No being a wise crack but that is what it normaly ends up being used for.
A log will show it on the end when the tree is felled and most will put it into the pulpwood pile.
I'd use curley maple or at a bare minimum plain soft or hard maple. But make sure it is not heart wood. Heat wood of maple will be dark brown to black too. Not nice looking even when finished.

 

[TARL01]

Thanks again. Looks like I goofed. :redface:
I'll use it to practice with and then chuck it.
Mike

 

[jimc2]

dont breath the sanding dust could cause you lung problems

 

[wulf]

You are good...nice having you onboard...Thanks.
Wulf

 

With all the logging and lumber mill skills I have had in my life time I got to know both well to make my liveing. Thus my nickname. Woodhick is a ole logger who worked all his life in the woods.

 

[deanscamaro]

As a pen woodturning shop person, my take would be that if you expect a wood with strength characteristics, don't use spalted wood. Most times, when I bought spalted wood, it was plactisticized, or imbedded with a plastic resin solution, under pressure, to keep it from turning to powder when you tried working it on a lathe. Spalted wood has started to decay and looks beautiful, but has to be stabilized for most applications.
:v

 

Exactly. wood that has started to decay is called punky or in poor laymans terms.......Rotten :rotf:

 

[AwRuuska]

For what that stuff sells for to the knife & guitar makers, and the wood turners you might try putting it up on e-bay before using it to start your wood stove.

 

[hotsparks]

I've done a rifle and a pistol from spalted, spalted is "soft", as said above it's, if not rotten at least punky...but it was pretty in it's natural state. I used aqua-fortis on the rifle and it wiped out the spalting and the finished rifle looks like plain-jane grade 1 maple. Hmmm, so I used a water-base stain on the pistol and it wipes out the spalting too. No particular problems working the stuff...no carving though, I would imagine the punky wood would be the devil to carve. If your piece isn't too soft or punky I'd say go for it.
John

 

[TARL01]

Well, it did take a full hour to carefuly saw through the block lenthwise - about 10", using no electricity, only elbow grease and the wood seemed at the time to be very hard.
I'll play it by hear and see what happens.
Thanks for the advise, everybody.
Mike

 

[Birddog6]

I have used it on a couple of curly blanks that had very light spalding & had no problems. In fact I have a halfstock blank here with some & it is very hard. But I usually try to avoid it as it is usually softer than what I want to build with.
I have used if on several knife handles & like it, but I always have it stabilized first as again it is usually softer than I want to use & when stabilized the acrylic resin will hold the spalded color & look, but yet keep it hard & useable. Not a good idea on a rifle tho, as it would weigh 40# :shocked2:
:thumbsup:

 

[Chiefs50]

Not all spalted wood is soft and punky. As you might logically expect, there are degrees of spaltedness. Some could be used as is for pistol stocks, etc. but it may be harder to work. A guy over on the Specialty Pistol forum makes some beautiful stocks out of spalted maple - some as-is and some stabilized. In any event I would not use it as firewood.

Mike

 

[TARL01]

Thanks again everyone.
I have cut the first blank partway. In keeping with my "no electricity" standard and to be very careful, I used a coping saw. I took a pic to document the process and will continue to do so. So far, so good. I have not run into anything soft.
Wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it.
Mike

 

[ohio ramrod]

There are different degrees of hardness to splated wood, depending on how long the fungus has been growing and how long the wood has been cut. The softer spalted wood comes from trees that have died from the fungus, or have been cut for a period of time. Stabalising the wood will prevent any furter funges growth and increase the strength but it makes the wood more brittle. knife handles made from stabalised wood need care when riveting to prevent cracking. ( I have learned this the hard way ).To kill the fungus you can bake the wood at 180 degrees for five hours to insure the fungus has been killed .If you have any questions about splated wood drop me a P.M.

 

[TARL01]

Well I cut the stock blank out and it was 95% good hard word. That doesn't matter as I need 100%. 95 is the same as zero for this. The bad part is right were the rear screw for the trigger guard would go. The other three stock pieces are not as good as the first. :cursing: :shake:
The only brite side is I do think I have enough to do a Philly Derringer with one of the pieces.
As for the stock blank - seeing how I have nothing to lose, I am going to use power tools to save time and see just how bad and deep the rot goes. :surrender: I guess this is what I get for not asking first.
Mike