When we bought our small farm in VA nearly thirty years ago, we bought a silver maple from one of those mailers. A thin stick about a foot long arrived and we planted it. It grew to forty feet. A couple years before we sold the farm and moved, bugs and a woodpecker killed the maple and I dropped it, planning to cut it for firewood, until I split the first piece and saw the spalting. I cut them all at 18" and set them aside to dry, then sliced them on my bandsaw mill. I have been using the spalted maple for the last ten years or so to make boxes, knives and such. I correct issues by filling gaps with fine sawdust saved from shaping, and then injecting Satellite city Special T glue.
https://www.amazon.com/Satellite-City-CA...82196&th=1
It comes in Thin, Medium, and Thick to fill gaps. Sanded smooth you don't see the cracks.
Here is a spalted maple and mahogany box as an example:
Here is just one of the many knives I have done with the maple scales. the brass bolster was shaped from barstock.
The leather sheath and carving is mine as well. Still learning. Thanks YouTube.
One more knife project... maple tanto...
I still have a lot of the matched slices and use it often for box tops or knife scales.... Golden Oak stain makes the contrast POP.