Maple Log

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daddy11ac

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Woodbridge, NJ
Hi guys....got through the rest of my 3rd oak log and started working on the maple I have. Got one board off before it was too dark. Anyhow, hope the pictures are decent. Most are of the maple log, the maple board shown with some other oak boards.

Anthony
 
Those maple pics with the dark colored streaks in the wood like that looks a lot like the silver maple I milled a few years ago. Not all but many of the dark streaks had small insect bore holes in them.
 
I was told marks like those were from bugs getting into the tree and the tree successfully healing the wound. I have seen a lot of that in silver maple, but never so many in one log.
 
Those maple pics with the dark colored streaks in the wood like that looks a lot like the silver maple I milled a few years ago. Not all but many of the dark streaks had small insect bore holes in them.

Woodshop, these do also have some of those small holes you mentioned.
 
Woodshop, these do also have some of those small holes you mentioned.
This is interesting... I have always read that the darker part of a log, the heartwood, is darker due to extractives deposited in the wood cells. I guess the boring insects can effect the area around them to cause the tree to excrete extractives just in that area? But I have not seen that in other species... only silver maple.
 
After some more reading, the dark stain is apparently a fungus introduced by ambrosia beetles. The fungus grows in their tunnels and becomes their food source, also staining the wood. Interesting stuff, guess it's a problem in some areas.
 
After some more reading, the dark stain is apparently a fungus introduced by ambrosia beetles. The fungus grows in their tunnels and becomes their food source, also staining the wood. Interesting stuff, guess it's a problem in some areas.

Yup, that's it. Most of the silver maples...well, all that I've cut up so far have the ambosia staining. I have some that are waiting to be milled that I bet will look just like this. Its also called ambrosia 'ghosting' because a lot of times, the staining looks like a ghost. Many of mine have 2 holes close together so it really does look like 2 little eyes.

Nice looking stuff, way to go!!! I bet that's a nice milling set up you have there, where did you get it?


Not mine, but more close up pictures.

ambrosiamaple3.jpg


ambrosia_maple.jpg
 
hi dan....yeah, the saw is running good. i ran out of the stickers you gave me, and are cutting new ones.

yeah, i got 15 boards out of that maple at 5/4.....i was happy. i also got a small 4 foot section to mill for shorts. Why not, right? I'll throw some more photos up soon. Then, the quest begins for more free logs. Gonna hit the tree guy up down the road, he has a pile in his yard.....see if I can finagle a delivery of 1 mile. I would think he'll bite, unless he makes me take whatever is on top of his pile.

AC
 
This is interesting... I have always read that the darker part of a log, the heartwood, is darker due to extractives deposited in the wood cells. I guess the boring insects can effect the area around them to cause the tree to excrete extractives just in that area? But I have not seen that in other species... only silver maple.

Beech is the same. So don't pass any up. There is a lot out there. Easy to mill. Dries nice and flat.
 
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