If this isn't nice, what is ?

Bloganonymous daughter gave me this chunk of spalted beech today.

If there is a more delicious wood, tell me what it is.

This chunk is an off-cut, and not a lot of use. You can see that it is part of a roundel cut from the log across the heart of the tree. The heart is right at the top of the picture. And you can see the shakes that are splitting the piece as it dries.

But just look at that grain. Isn't it just amazing ? 

Spalted beech is just standard beech that has been affected by a fungal growth which gets right through the tree and puts that stunning marking into the wood. 

It's tricky wood to work, and the light and dark parts tend to be different in terms of hardness. In this case the lighter areas are pretty soft.

This chunk is beautiful. At least I think so. My plans ? Well, I think I will smooth it down to make if feel like silk, and maybe wax the end result. Wood like this does make you want to touch it, stroke the grain.

Watch this space.