Soft spots in spalted maple?

Question

I bought a beautiful 67" long board of spalted maple on eBay to use as drawer fronts for a chest I'm building. Wood arrived yesterday and it is gorgeous. There are a couple of small soft spots in the figuring, places that feel a little spongey or like cork. Is there some way I can stabilize these or harden them so they won't further deteriorate? What about taking a finish after doing that (whatever "that" is)? I don't know how deep the softness goes, but I'll be thicknessing this board down to 3/4" from 1 1/8". Will that get me past it? Thanks for your help.

Ian

Joe Wells · Accepted Answer

David marks advocates using cyanoacrylate to stabilize areas like that. I'd probably mill up a bit to rough dimension, then experiment with an off-cut.

Again, you could use the same off-cut to try a couple of finishing techniques to see what the effects are.

Rob V · Answer

Like joe said - use CA glue. (Order it online or at a local woodworking shop - borgs dont carry it (or at least mine dont)

Take a look in the woodturning newsgroups for some great instructions on exactly how to use it.

Never Enough Money · Answer

Is spalted mample the same as wormy maple? Just curious.[snip]

Doug Miller · Answer

No, although the two are sometimes found in the same board. Spalt is a discoloration caused by a fungus. In maple, it most often manifests itself as dramatic irregular dark lines through the board.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

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George · Answer

Nope, the worms leave when the fungus begins. Toxins, you know.When they get it working again, you'll find good stuff on spalting at:

Soft spots in spalted maple?

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