strange markings in beech

[treefella83]

these three bowls are from a large piece of beech that has markings left from fungal or inscect attack or both.

the first bowl was soft in places and bits broke off when turning.

the second bowl was better to turn but with only a small bit of sound wood in it it made the gouge chatter and was finished with a scraper.

the third bowl was very easy to turn but being only 1and a half inch in thickness i made this shape as a display piece.
there is a forth piece ready to go on the lathe and when its finished i will post a pic.

 

[PowerTool]

Nice shaped pieces - but funny-looking timber,isn't it :?

Did you try stabilising it with sanding sealer,or was it okay to turn in it's "natural" state ? (And if so,was it dusty ?)

Andrew

 

[treefella83]

didnt use any sealer and wasnt too dusty but the shavings just piled up on the gouge rather than streaming away.
i have never seen anything like it before the white dots or blobs feel like cotton wool.

 

[Russell]

The timber looks like Flamed beech that has started to spalt. The brown wide lines are caused by a mineral iron present in the soil the tree was grown in. The spongy whitish markings is cause by a fungus, If there were 2 or more species of fungus present you would get black lines forming between different areas where the fungal species meet. Thats what it looks like but really need to look closely and feel the timber to be sure.