General Category > General Discussion
Spalted wood as chopping boards/serving boards
Andy Coates:
The only prohibition to using spalted beech is that there will be soft areas.
The spores that lead to spalting are in the air we breathe and cause no adverse effects to us. The Hyphae which cause the spalt in the timber is dead if the wood is kiln dried, and if the timber is air dried and the boards have not rotted away they're also dead. The Hyphae need minimum 20% moisture content to live. If on doubt microwave the blanks for 3 mins on low power.
The "spalt" or black streaking you see and recognise as fungus are actually zonal demarcations, stains in effect, between two or more species of fungi, and constitute no potential for harm.
woody:
Sorry Andy but my lungs dont believe that and nor would anyone who see me after turning it without a mask and that was in the days when I had healthy lungs 20 years ago and had to go on a breathing aid because my wind pipes closed right up and that was enough proof for me regardless of what anyone says
As I said Andy sorry to have to disagree with you
Andy Coates:
No apology needed, Woody. You must be sensitised to the wood, a not uncommon situation. Many turners, or woodworkers for that matter, can become sensitised to particular woods, sometimes immediately and other times after long trouble free exposure. Roger Foden, for instance, a long time turner of Yew, can now no longer work the wood because of the severe effect it has on him. And there are many others with the same problem. The trick is to notice when a particular wood becomes a problem and to take steps to avoid exposure, which you seem to have done.
However...your personal experience doesn't alter the fact that the fungus itself isn't responsible (unless you are turning freshly felled wood with live Hyphae, which is a slightly different scenario...although why you'd turn it green I don't know).
And as a general rule, using a mask is no bad thing for anybody regardless of sensitisation.
Mark Sanger:
On my travels I have seen loads of chopping boards, and salad bowls that include spalting. A bigger issue for me would be to utilize common woods for use with foodstuffs.
julcle:
Hi Mark -- When you say A bigger issue for me would be to utilize common woods for use with foodstuffs. Do you mean that some of the more common woods such as Sycamore, Ash and Oak would not be wise choice for food stuff ? as a relative beginner here I am still unclear which are safe and which are not so desirable -- Julian
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