A traditional term for wood that has begun to rot, losing its structural integrity and becoming soft, punky, or discolored. Doty wood is usually rejected at the mill because it lacks strength and yields poor lumber, though some woodworkers prize the spalting patterns that often accompany the early stages of this decay.
Heard on the job
That whole stack of red oak sitting in the mud is getting doty, so just chip it.
Insider tip
Cruisers will tap a suspected doty tree with an axe: a dull thud instead of a sharp ring indicates rot inside.
Also heard as
- punky
- doted
Do not mix it up with
- Dozy: Both mean decaying wood, but doty often implies a wet, waterlogged rot while dozy leans toward a dry, crumbling texture.