We’ve all seen driftwood and decaying wood including moss, mold, mushrooms, mildew and the bugs creep in. Fungus, however has a way of being sneeky, it can work on the inside of the tree often carried inside by water and insects. The fungus can get into the log and start the process of decaying while a tree is still standing. It also occurs while a log sits for months wait to be processed by a sayer.
If a log is cut for slabs or lumber, and the wood is dried in a kiln, the decay process is halted. But the tell-tail signs of the fungus show up in the form of lines and patches. In some cases this material is discarded. For some projects, woodworkers will celebrates this form of decay and use the spalted wood dispite the decay.
Here are some examples…. The result is a true work of art and its often not what the woodworker had very much to do with.
