It is literally rotting, this causes some areas of the wood to bleach to a champagne colour while other areas retain the original colour of the wood. Bucky made a neat clock out of a couple spare pieces we salvaged, I'll try to get a pic of that too.ĭaren-I've got a Bailey's catalog, I think I'll order a rip chain and give it a try. Spalting is created by fungal invasion of wood. That tells me that the scalers aren't even telling the guys when one of their logs is a birdseye. Every logger I asked if they ever saw extra money in their checks for a birdseye log said no. If we can just get a few contractors to slow down enough to let us look over the log pile, I know we'll catch some of it. I think we might be on to something good, there's a lot of hard maple in our area. When we cut the outer sweep of the curve, it was just loaded with eyes. The log had about a 30 degree bend, a real cull piece in any log yard. I'll stop by Bucky's shop and get a picture of the boards we got out of a pulp log. I've never seen eyes that defined, it's like an eybrow over the eye. Even though I know it's not big leaf maple, it looks real similar. If you turn the piece in the light, it has a quilt pattern. I've got to tell you, it's even nicer in person. They usually get pushed into the bushes and left. Just about every logging operation around here ends up with some monsters on the landing that the log yards don't want and the pulp yards definetly don't want. As you've posted, they've got the most incredible figure inside. I would really like to start grabbing some of those really oversize logs. I know they exist, I just don't know where to get one. I've been meaning to ask you a question on quartering your oversize logs id you buy a special ripping chain for your saw?. Once I finally get the kiln and re-saw shop operational, that stuff will quickly turn into at least $5-$10 bdft. I know if I gave them a buck a foot, I could get some really sweet logs. I told them I would come with my trailer and it will be cash in hand. We brought two skidder operators to Bucky's shop and showed them that piece of birdseye and some spalted stock. Some of the bigger operations just put out tons of wood but never really check it over before it gets shipped. We figure an hour on a landing with a screwdriver to pull some bark could really pay off. We're going to try to set up a weekend schedule to check out anyone in maple. Bucky and I have been staying in close touch with all the logging operations around to see who's cutting what. This wood is very decorative and therefore very popular with woodworkers. Spalted maple has dark veins caused by fungi in the wood. There's no doubt in my mind the eyes went right through to the center of the log. LATIN: ACER SACCHARUM, ACER RUBRUM ORIGIN: NORTH AMERICA. Daren-You wouldn't believe how deep the indents of the eyes are on that piece.