# Something eating my turning blanks



## loiblb (Jul 6, 2015)

I found powdered wood fine saw dust in piles around my wood set aside to dry.
Is this common?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

powder post beetles,termites,carpenter ants ,little bitty beavers?
Seriously the wood could have been infested when you cut it.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

If the will fit, stick 'em in the microwave for a minute or so… nuke them buggers 

Cheers,
Brad


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

Just what I was gonna say, nuke 'em!
If too big for the nuke box, then stick 'em in the conventional oven and bake the bugs outta them! Go low and slow. The goal is to roast the bugs, not the wood.
The first thing to do is debark 'em. Bark = bug magnet.
Best: Go Marius Hornberger on 'em, and get rid of the bulk of the waste. Easier to turn while green. When dry, you only need to make them round again.


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## loiblb (Jul 6, 2015)

Looks like he was not too happy in the microwave. Thanks for the tip.
My horse apple started cracking after I nuked it. Was going to turn it into a mallet head. May still try.


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## oldwood (Dec 29, 2014)

You have the answer to your question above but for future reference try this.
Before storing any wood dust it well with boric acid. You can find it as roach powder such as Bengal. Get the brands with the high percentage of boric acid, It works for most all pest around the home and shop and is completely safe.


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## BobAnderton (Oct 5, 2010)

That's red headed ash borer larvae. They love osage orange and mesquite and ash. They start out under the bark in the sapwood. I'd say go a head and turn the wood and you'll turn through them most likely. Edit, I see you're in Texas like me, so I'm even more sure that's what they are.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Now that you've cooked them, see if they are as nutritious as it's claimed. lol .. I get these critters all the time. It feels like I've been sprayed by some liquid when they hit


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## soob (Feb 3, 2015)

You put a whole loglet in the microwave? Nice.

It's always better to turn those green, though.


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## ClammyBallz (Apr 16, 2015)

Those go well with tequila.


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## loiblb (Jul 6, 2015)

Even that I nuked the logs I turned through some live ones in the turning today


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Even that I nuked the logs I turned through some live ones in the turning today
> - loiblb


How do you know they were alive and not just 'fresh' 

I hit them all the time.. pretty sure they are dead, but by the time they splatter all over me and the lathe, I guess it doesn't really matter! Nothing like getting splatted with bug goo in the morning - that's half the fun.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Leovanderloo (Apr 28, 2016)

Microwave will not penetrate more than an inch into the wood, so you are only able to kill the ones on the outside if any at all, I doubt you can kill them by sticking them into a microwave for a bit.

To kill al insects in wood that can be used to make pallets for instance that can be used for in and export, the wood has to be heated through and through for quite a while to be than considered safe.

Just checked the requirement, the core of the wood has to be heated to at least 56 degrees Celsius (133F) for a minimum of 30 minutes

I have used a handful of mothballs with some turned wood in double bagged plastic bags that had some bugs in it.

This much thinner wood than a whole log, I left in the bags for several months, and than after taking it out, I would place it on some black plywood and left it there for weeks, so that if anything survived the telltale wood dust would show up, I never did have that happen.


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Whatever you continue to do make sure the wife is not around and you remove all traces and sign of you being there, otherwise bugs and insects will be the least of your concerns as you lie in hospital recovering from crippling injuries as a result of your folly in her kitchen!

Oterwise I am tipping this will be your last post!


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