In my opinion, spalted maple is one of the most beautiful woods available for wood workers. The unique characteristics of this wood make each piece a treasure.    

Some of the most common questions about spalted maple are:

What is spalted maple?

Spalted maple is created when the wood is infected by a variety of fungi.  Each unique fungus creates a different effect in the wood during the natural process of decay. If the wood is caught and processed at the right time, before it gets soft and punky, it can create a stunning mosaic of light and dark areas most often bordered by dark lines (inklines).  This provides a striking visual contrast.

The best spalted maple come from trees that die while they are still standing.  Standing trees spalt from the inside out and produce gorgeous color contrast and black inklines, while trees that spalt while they are already on the ground produce a different type of spalt that is usually softer and less stable.  

Is spalted maple foodsafe?

After researching this topic in great length… this is what I found.  If the wood is kiln dried, the fungi will go dormant or die.  As long as you apply a durable foodsafe finish to your turning, the wood should be foodsafe. However, after having said that, I could not find any research with a solid conclusion either way.  I also could not find any reported illnesses from using spalted wood in this manner. The only cautions I could find regarding the use of spalted wood were workshop related. The dust from the spalted maple and the warm damp climate of your lungs make for an ideal breeding ground for the fungi to come back to life. When you’re cutting or sanding any kind of spalted wood, please protect your lungs and use a respirator mask for your own health.