Cjfutrell Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 I recently purchased some spalted white oak from a local sawmill. I just started running it through the planer and have noticed a couple of places where the wood is really soft. I've never worked with anything spalted before and wonder if this is normal and is there anything I do to protect the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 Spalting is the wood starting to rot. White oak is somewhat rot resistent so the fact that it started to spalt meant that it was stored wet for a long period. Was the wood kiln dried? Dry the lumber or make sure it's kept dry, when I say dry i mean 7-8% moisture content. You can stabilizethe surface of any soft areas with epoxy but that isn't a deep reapir. A casting resin is the best bet to add strength to the areas deeper than the skin. Something like Cactus Juice but I don't know a lot about those types of materials most often they require baking in an oven to set. Penetrating epoxy can kinda work but it has some drawbacks. A nice thin epoxy like west system, total boat, or a casting epoxy will penetrate just as deep but will become stronger than your typical penetrating epoxies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 7, 2021 Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 If it is just punky is small spots, thin CA glue may stabilize it enough to finish your project. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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