The Saga of the Distressed Ambrosia Maple - The wood in this box is 15” offcuts from long planks. The pieces were badly warped and twisted and destined to be fire wood. Needing a corona virus isolation project, I took possession of them. The wood has ambrosia fungus markings, beetle holes, fungal black lines and knots. The grain is contorted and exhibits tiger stripe. The color varies from light to dark.
I spent several months wetting and clamping the rough-sawn wood to flatten it. Not a total success. Next I roughly hand planed. Then into the planer. Finally, flat. When building a box, I prefinish the top and bottom panels before assembly. I hit one side of one panel with Watco, my usual finish. It turned a yellow-green puke color and was very blotchy. What to do? I sprayed clear flat enanel, many thin coats, with lots of sanding between. Then Watco in very thin coats. It worked. I used this approach on all box surfaces. The figure in this wood is quite busy. I think of this project as my harlequin box.
