# Would you bring this lumber home even if it was free?



## starringemma (Aug 15, 2012)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-Lumber/

You could dilute 1 part shellack with 2 parts thinner and spray the boards with it using a Huddson weed sprayer. When the shellack drys it leave an air tight coat snuffing out the bugs.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

All depends on what it was infested with in my book. Powder post beetles, bring it on. Emerald ash boring beetles, burn it. Im all for free lumber, some bugs included. What i wouldnt do is put it next to the rest of my lumber inside the shop. I would store it outside underneath a tarp.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

Personally, not even if they paid me. But that's because I don't have the room or means to treat the infestation. If I had a small kiln I wouldn't hesitate.


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## starringemma (Aug 15, 2012)

How hot would the lumber have to get in order to kill the bugs? A person could make a solar oven pretty cheap.


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## treaterryan (Feb 20, 2012)

150F is the general standard I have heard for heat treatment.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

That shellac will not "smother" the bugs! I had powder post beetles chew their way out of a nice walnut chair that had 4 HEAVY coats of sprayed on Spar Urethane!


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Depends on what the little critters are. Gotta be some way to kill them.


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## Robert_T (Feb 5, 2013)

Hell no. Emerald ash borer is not one I would take risk with.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Depends on how much wood there is. If it were a large quantity, I would take it and call a fumigator. He can wrap the whole thing in plastic and inject cyanide gas. They do it with houses to kill termites.


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

NO ! Burn it in a dirt field, with nothing around for 100 yards.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Call your local fumigation company (i.e., termite contractor). The stuff they use will kill ANY bug, even in the wood, just like it does termites. Vikane. Look it up. Might make the free wood too expensive. OR, find someone friendly who is having their home fumigated for termites and lay your wood out on a floor. What you brought in live won't be in a couple hours in that atmosphere.


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

I tried killing bugs with many different types of products that were supposed to work but they didn't. I ended up taking the wood to a fumigator. The molecules of the fumes are small enough to penetrate the wood pours and kill the bugs.

It would have to be very rare wood for me to mess with it.


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## ScaleShipWright (Mar 28, 2013)

About bugs killing I have read in a book written by a ship model collector that he got rid of an infestation in an early XVIII century ship model putting it in an airtight, low-gas permeability plastic bag, and replacing the air with argon gas; the model was kept sealed for 4 weeks, keeping oxygen level under 0.1%. Do not know how much this can cost, but probably is worth for some valuable artifact only.

Alessandro


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## Rutager (Feb 4, 2012)

I would be a bit concerned about breathing any chemicals that were used to kill the bugs when I was milling it up; it also may be illegal in some areas to transport wood with certain bugs in them to other locations.

Now according to the article, the guy was also just talking about boards that had lots of defects; those might be a good deal if you are building small projects so you can cut around the bad areas.

-Rutager


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

150 deg. CORE TEMP, held for 30 min.


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## Illinoiswoodworker (Mar 24, 2013)

Nope, to me it's not worth taking the chance.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

A bottle of lighter fluid, a BIC lighter and an ice pick (or an awl).

Poor lighter fluid in each hole and light it. As the little critters run out to escape the flames, stab them with the ice pick!

See? it's simple!


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Oh hell no.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Just to keep this in perspective, we're talking about saving money by getting infested wood and then spending money fumigating it. If you're a fumigator already, I guess this might make some financial sense, but otherwise I just don't see how it would be worth it. Pennywise, poundfoolish.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

If you are serious about obtaining some of that wood you could build a heatbox like they do when selling used mattresses, only smaller.

2 sheets of plywood cut lengthwise, plus two 2X2 pieces for the ends.
Hang a flood lamp or an infrared bulb inside about every 2 feet.
Fill the box wiith lumber, leaving airspace between the boards and not too close to the heat lamps.
Turn the lights on, close up the ends, watch the temp.
Once it get's over 150°F let it heat soak for a few hours.
Bugs will be dead.
Empty the box, reload and do it again.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

*BTimmons* +1 great idea!


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

Burn, fire, kill.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

If it was easy the present owner would do it. Bring it home?? NO!!!!!


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> Powder post beetles, bring it on. Emerald ash boring beetles, burn it.
> 
> - chrisstef


Interesting thought there. Where you live do they have Emerald Ash borer yet? I'm in Ohio, so we have been overrun. The first thing you notice is WITHOUT using a systemic killer EVERY year Ash soon will be infected. The second thing you notice is after the Ash is dead, it is rapidly sawn into usable lumber. The EAB only go into the outer bark, stay for about a year, and then they bug out….(pun intended.) They don't have anything of value in a cut, and milled tree because there is no flowing phloem in the outer bark, thus no nutritional value to the pest. Plus they haven't messed with any other species, even in areas of Michigan where the Ash are completely killed. They just quit being after that, rather than start on Maple, Oak, whatever…

Now PPB, I don't mess with any of the Voodoo I have heard associated with trying to save the boards they infect, and I do burn that. I've only been given a few pieces of infested wood, by well meaning people who thought I didn't know about them. I have never had them in my stash, and don't want to either.

That goes back to my stash, and it does contain a bit of Borer killed Ash. I'd suggest anyone who thinks like you do about Ash killed by the EAB, to read up. Or at least scroll down to the very last entry, the pic of 2 happy guys milling up Ash. As long as the bark is gone, EAB threat is too.

In the USA it started in Michigan, they actually know more about it than most, simply from the POV of time under fire. A person could also read any of the links right above that picture.

Emma Walker. As many have stated it depends on the critter. If it is PPB, you have my answer about them, but there are a number of other pests that cause some folks a lot of nightmares. The first thing to do is figure out what "IT" is, once done you can do research, and find if there is a good resolution.

Emma's picture appears to be of mixed wood, so that rules out EAB. The most likely culprit to suspect is PPB. If I could find that out, I wouldn't take it home either.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

It's just weird to comment on a post that's 6 years old. But I do like the red warning tag. Some people should wear a tag like that. All you need to know.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

I didn't look at the date. Sadly, most ash trees in northern Illinois ate gone. But it has given me a lifetime supply of ash. Just burn the outer cuts.


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## RobInVT (May 26, 2019)

I wouldn't chance it.


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## BobHall (Nov 18, 2014)

Nope


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

That post was made, 03-27-2013, I suspect all the bug are dead by now.


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