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?

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

Art

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...
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?

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
www.highislandexport.com