what is this stuff I bought?

allen levine

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I thought it was maple. It has these marks with bug holes all over the boards. I have more than I think I want.
first picture bottom stuff is natural birch Im almost positive, what is the stuff on top, maple?
second and third pic, the top board in second picture is 100% birch, what is the stuff with the colored marks with bug holes?(third pic is just the entire board)
I thought it was maple. Is it usable with the bug holes?
 

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The board with holes and gray stain is called Ambrosia Maple. Also known as wormy maple. The brown, gray, and black striping are caused by staining associated with the worm holes in the tree. Turns love it.
 
Allen, Ambrosia maple is considered by some of us to be an upgrade too plain 'ole soft maple. That's what your maple looks like to me. You can mix sawdust with a little epoxy if you really want to fill the holes. I have sometimes epoxied copper dust or some other embellishment in the holes. I had some 3" x 6" x 48" birdseye maple planks that powder post beetles got into.:( I ended up sawing them into bowl blanks and filling the holes with copper. My Aunts were fighting over one of the bowls. :D Most people I know who use that wood leave the holes as is. I have heard that some people will sort through the maple lumber stacks to find the better figured wood. Soft maple is usually sawed as log run and not sorted for figure. I have a friend with a business who makes cabinet doors and drawers for cabinet shops. He will sometimes sort out the curly and ambrosia maple boards from a bunk and keep them for one job. This way the drawers all match and it is an extra exotic look for the kitchen.

I myself sort and keep any spalted, ambrosia, or curly maple boards and any combination of these figures for special projects. I just today split a log section to throw in the furnace only to find nice spalt and curl figure mixed. Dang it! I had to go and re-saw that block. :D
 
I have small contianers with different flavors of sawdust for this reason. Put some of it in a cup and mix w/ blonde shellac. This will allow the stain and/or other finish to match the rest of the wood, plus the shellac drys quick.
 
Here's a hall table I made from ambrosia, purple heart, and curly maple around Christmas on this year.
 

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ah man, thats really pretty, and I cant tell if you filled in the holes or not.(did you?), Im not posting my table when its done, Ill cut and paste yours.some of you guys just do such clean fine work, its really a beauty.
 
Leaving the holes alone is my preferred practice. The stains are charastics or this unique looking wood. (actually it is damage to fine maple and considered in the industry to be faulty or discarded ) We as WWers like characteristic looking woods and see these as beauty marks. Finish as usual and allow the finish to fill the holes, it would be a mistake to gom it up with putty (storebought or homemade)
 
I sorted through all the white wood today.
I had purchased some 8/4-10/4 boards and it has some of the staining at the ends.

I believe all the maple I purchased is soft maple. There are lots of colors in it, greyish tints, greenish tints, some boards whiter than others, but the clearer stuff, tanish colored I believe is all birch.

I have so many different looking boards of ash.
Some of the rift sawn he called it, looks as good as quartersawn to me, almost like white oak.

Im picking up a load of quartsawn white oak tomorrow, he told me he has and would I be interested, so Im heading over before he sells it to someone else.
He told me he has as much maple as Id ever want, and alot of poplar, but I have run out of room, and Im also going to take as much mahogany as he is willing to give me, cause I know that is coming to an end with him.

Ill shoot a pic of the white oak QS tomorrow when I pick it up.
I dont know what IM building with it yet, but I have room for it, so Im going for it.
Im still hoping he gets in walnut and or cherry for me to grab some.
 
I didnt discuss prices with him. Maybe I should have.

I dont think Id pay him much above 5-5.50 for it.

My woodworking skills kinda dictate what Id spend on lumber to build anything.( I actually sanded out more spots on the chairs tonight, and applied more poly, Im just not focusing so great, so Id hate to waste alot of money when my finishing skills are poor)
I got hooked on mahogany the first time I saw it, so that is a killer for me, Id fill my garage and house with it if I could get enough of it.
If he wants over 5.50, Ill have to think it over, maybe just go with the riftsawn ash I paid 2.00 or 2.50 a bf for.
 
First thing I did was ask him what cut is it exactly, QS? He said, no its rift sawn, and then stated its just as nice, I looked at it, seemed pretty enough, 3 dollar a bf, I figured its white oak, its ok.
He had some mahogany, very little, maybe 20 bf, sitting for me, piece of spanish cedar mixed in, I took it. 5.00 bf.

I was looking at some work one of his guys was spraying,(a really ugly color, but I guess, looked like cabinet cases for a retail place, give the customer what he wants), and I noticed 20 pallets of chocolate colored stuff.
I asked him is that all walnut? He said yeah, they are doing floors with it, nothing I saw over 4 feet, but he had some 8 footers, and alot of 5/4-8/4 in 3-4 foot lengths, so I asked him what will he charge me for that, and I almost hit the floor when he said he couldnt go under 8 a bf.
8 dollars a bf, wow, my work doesnt need that....but man....that was some beautiful looking lumber, looked so pretty laying next to the white oak.
Hey, I asked, could you do any better, he smiled and said Id pay 12.75 bf around us, he cant do better than 8.00

I guess the pictures of the wood I bought this morning will reveal how stupid I am.
I now have enough wood to build into the next 3 years. (I still need to get my hands on cherry)
Ill post the pics later, gotta go figure out where this stuff is going.
 
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