What Is It ?

[unionworkeruk]

Can anyone identify this wood for me ? I am looking to use it on a staircase as treads if possible.

 

[lostinthelight]

Can't tell what the species is but its called spalted wood and is wood that's been attacked by a fungus

 

[Notch7]

Needs much closer pic, poss bark side too.

The spalting is no indication of species, other than some timbers are more prone than others.

Given the small size, it could be any timber, including non commercial species like a garden fell.

Beech, silver birch, fruit trees and others are prone to spalting.

Im not sure it would be strong enough for a tread......

 

[Chud]

Spalted something as others have said - I'll hazard a guess given it's pale colour otherwise as maple (could also be beech) but it's impossible to tell from that photo.

If you post a few good pics on https://www.woodtalkonline.com/ including one of cleaned up end grain you will probably get a fairly definitive answer.

 

[lostinthelight]

A bit of info :
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_spalted.htm

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Spalted timbers can be far weaker than non-spalted timbers but there is no way to gauge whether or not they will fail under load (the veins are actually rotted timber and therefore weak points). I have seen spalted beech explode a few times on the lathe when being turned and in the UK the most commonly seen spalted logs seem to be beech. The spores contained within the timbers are also potentially harmful and can cause respiritory distress when sanded, sawn or planed. For those reasons I'd avoid like the plague in this application

Instead there are some superb home-grown feature timbers which may be suitable such as olive ash, brown ash, tiger oak (stripey), pippy oak, quilted sycamore, birds eye maple (not seen much in the UK - mainly imported but some hose grown id seen from time to time), lacewood plane, walnut, yew, etc to name a few

 

[unionworkeruk]

Thanks for all the information JobandKnock. That is a bit of old timber I picked up in a wood yard literally. A tree surgeon used to sell all sorts of wood there, as they stood, so you got some free and some bargains. I will not be using it or anything like it now .

I have now decided the treads are going to be different woods as you have listed, waney edge bark and 3.5cm thick so that you will see the wood rather than just walk on it. They will rest on two steel stringers behind the wood treads. The problem is getting hold of it. Yew is going for £80 a metre for that thickness and 25 cm width plus I have never seen most of your list even offered on the ebay market

I have planks of Yew, Elm, Ash and Oak but will keep searching for others. I need another 8 !