milling maple

[Doug]

I had to take down a maple in front of my house last week. The thing was dead, around 20-24" at its base. I was hoping it might yield some interesting spalted slabs, however in cross section there is, what I can best describe as a stain that seems to run all the way through the center of the logs. On the perimiters, the wood is typical maple color, with some spalting happening. The inner core seems to be perfectly solid, not rotten, but again, it has a well defined grayish core taking up about 75% of the logs. I'm wondering if anyone has seen this and if it might be worth milling or not? My inclination is that the wood wouldn't be that attractive, but I've got no experience with this.

[Charley]

I think you will only know after you make a few lengthwise saw cuts in the trunk section. The patterns can't be determined until you can get to see these saw cuts. Some wood secrets like birdseye and burls show enough through the bark to give a clue as to what's inside, but spalting can't really be seen until you open it up. Even then the true beauty will be partially hidden until after you make something out of it and do the final shaping and sanding. You may get lucky, or maybe not.

[George]

Heartwood. Learn a bit about wood at

[Doug]

I had to drop a fairly large maple tree on my property last week. The thing was dying. I was hoping to get a few spalted slabs out of it, however, in cross section, there is a center ring running through the core of the tree that is quite dark. The perimiter of the crosscut is typical maple color and very nice, but the center is as described. The wood is not rotten, and it's not your typical black spalt. Has anyone had any experience with this type of discoloration of the core, and would it be worth milling?

[WoodButcher]

It could just be the heartwood which is darker than the sapwood. Most maple used in furniture is the lighter sapwood.

Art

[Ross Hebeisen]

the dark center of a maple log is the heartwood though the white sapwood area is the most wanted often maple will sell unselected for color which offers the light dark contrast. percent of whitewood to darkwood often has to do with rate of growth. here in north central Minnesota at about the northern edge of the maple growing range

60 - 70 % heart is the norm consequently not very good hard maple. ross