Elm Disease?

[WoodWrangler]

Started working on the beds I"m building and several ends of the boards have a fungus-like, hole-like patterns (making parts of the boards nearly useless). Is this what they refer to as Elm Disease? If not, what is it?

Sorry for the crappy pics.

 

[MikeH]

It's called "character". :slap: I actually don't know what it is. I'm sure DaveO or someone else can probably tell you.

 

[DaveO]

Well Dutch Elm Disease is a fungal disease carried into the tree by bark beetles. So I would think that it's effects could show up in markings similar to Ambrosia markings in Maple. What you have there looks a lot like ray fleck in QSWO, not unattractive at all. Is it soft and punky? Have you already planed this stock?
There really is very little evidence of what kind of an effect DED has on lumber stock. Trees that were found infected with it were generally destroyed and not milled into lumber.
Dave

 

[WoodWrangler]

Unfortunately it's not a ray fleck and is soft and punky. The boards in this picture have been planed down.

 

[nelsone]

Too bad on the wood. Hope you can get something worked out on it.

 

[Mark Anderson]

ded is a fungal infection of the layer of live wood rith under the bark, and kills the tree rater quickly so it's affects would not be seen through the iner wood, at least that is my thoughts.

however a dead snag can stand for years, and the fungus is carried by a beatle, so it is posible that a tree killled be ded is more prone to having other funguses permiate deeper into the wood.

 

[Wildwood]

Am not sure what am looking at on those elm boards. Seems only problem you have is how to finish. Do you want to completely hide those white spots with paint? Or celebrate the character of the wood with clear finish?

Elm an open grain wood like oak, can benefit using a paste wood filler same color as the wood. Essentially filling and staining at the same time. Then apply clear finish top coats.

Staining after using some types of fillers not a good op!

Some folks choose to seal with clear finish then use a colored paste wood filler. Then apply clear finish top coats.

Not sure what to tell you, other than experiment on some scrap wood. Looks like this elm will be a challenge.

If were me facing this dilemma, would just hit with a few coats of clear finish and celebrate the character of the wood!

 

[Dusty Sawyer]

Jeremy,

Looks like something I found in some WO a few years ago..looks almost like a bunch of mushy honey-combs. The tree I took it from had come down in a storm because of rot and a major ant colony living in the trunk. Most of the grain was good, but there were those streaks of punk. Further up from the trunk it was fine. Having lots on hand, I didn't try to do anything with it, but I would think some sort of a thick filling type stain to start would help even it out.

Has the wood been properly dried to kill any critters?

 

[Jim M.]

Jeremy,
Think of DED as the same as we have plaque in our arteries. The beetle carried the fungal disease into the living tissue, as it grew, prevented the flow of water and sugars needed to survive. What your probably seeing is the result of an opportunistic disease causing decay on a weakened tree. Just my opinion. Jim

 

[WoodWrangler]

Thanks for the feedback. The "mushy" stuff David explained is exactly what I"m seeing. These boards were air dried properly. Luckily I have enough boards that this shouldn't impact my project ... just an interesting problem.