Spalted Maple

A close friend of mine asked for my help cutting down a tree for a friend of his.  I enjoy playing with chainsaws and I was offered to take whatever I wanted from it.  Outdoor fun, friend time, and possibly some free wood.

This particular maple tree was standing dead and had started to rot.  Though it was a happy tree before, it was now posing a threat to the family that owned it.  Easy to take down and we had a lot of fun doing it.  I milled a number of pieces from it, including 1 large piece that had spectacular spalting running all the way through.  I bookmatch cut that and used it for this project.

I hadn't originally planned to use it for a board but I learned later that the owner of the tree was diagnosed with a rare cancer and had an unknown and not-optimistic timeline.  My friend wanted to create a care package for him and include something made from this wood.  This is one of those opportunities where a tree that's destined for firewood gets a second chance and can continue to be enjoyed for another lifetime.  It was a meaningful gesture and I'm grateful to have been part of their story.

Update:  The cancer is gone and he is still with us.  :)