Unusual beam surface

[leucothea]

Any thoughts on what might be up with the surface of this beam?

 

[jamest]

I'm no expert, but it looks like worm eaten sapwood to me.

 

[fernicarry]

Looks very wet on the right hand side.

 

[leucothea]

It is weird—it looks wet and almost mouldy but it’s dry as a bone and has been for the couple of years I’ve been here.

 

[jamest]

Still going with decayed, worm-eaten sapwood - which in my limited experience looks like what you've got there (when the wood is oak, at least)

 

[alexander]

looks like treated wood, probably using a wood hardener as well as wood worm treatment

 

[Kearn]

It’s the sap/bark edge, So susceptible.

Now I was going to say…. Looks like the worms have had their fill on the cellulose leaving behind the lignen which has dried out to leave the structureless Aero substance, which is dry, crumbly and disintegrates

One of my carpenters says white rot. Presumably historic.

 

[Matt Green]

It's very old white rot decay and furniture beetle damage in a sapwood section.


M.