Grey streaks in hackberry

[Eric Garza]

I was browsing on the big auction site and saw a nice pair of hackberry billets offered. I looked at the pictures though and the wood seems to have a lot of grey streaking. I have never seen this in hackberry before, though admit I have only made a few bows from it. Is this wood still good, or is this some sort of fungus or rot?

[Badger]

 Hard one to call, I have seen plenty of gray streaks in hackberry but never as much as you have in that stave.

[BowEd]

Hackberry many times is subject to spalling.Some is more exaggerated than others.Wood carvers like it mostly.
It is a fungal growth like you suggested.It may cause strength problems for bow wood I'm not sure.I tend to think fungus feeds off the wood so....
Overly wet wood at the right temperatures can cause this.
The other day I cut down an extreme leaning hackberry.It's trunk was spalted quite a bit.
Personally I'd shy away from wood such as this for bow wood.

[Eric Garza]

Thanks for that BowEd. I will pass on these. I also notice that the $15 surcharge that USPS puts on all parcels over 30 inches has pretty much made shipping staves and even billets unaffordable. It would cost $67 to ship these billets to me, which is more than the listing price. I guess now more then ever it is time to learn to harvest our own wood.

[PeteC]

I think you made the right call. I cut an American elm years ago that looked just like the Hackberry, I attempted 2 bows with the gray streaks and they both failed quite spectacularly. God Bless

[Hamish]

That's bluestain. Its usually doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the stave. I have made bows from staves with bluestain, though it wasn't as dark as the ones in the photo.

It happens in whitewoods that have been cut in summer, when the sap is up, and the humidity is high. That is why most whitewoods cut for lumber is done in the autumn/winter months. Wet wood emits an odor that smells like fishy ammonia, with a hint of sweet alcohol.

Bluestain is not apparent when the tree is first cut. it develops in the days after. If the wood has streaks in it when cut then it is either a normal occurrence  in that species, possible insect activity that has healed over, or heartwood rot(usually in mature trees).