# Kinda a kiln to nuke bugs.



## Dj1225 (Apr 27, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a lot of lumber, ranging from wormy chestnut to poplar. I need to figure out a way to insure all the bugs are gone. All the wood I have is air dried and most in the 15% range, but I am in fear of building something for someone and later having an issue. In some of the old wormy chestnut I have seen silverfish (I think)

So I was wondering, since it is not really needed to dry the wood, could I build a well insulated box large enough to hold 8" lumber and on one side use a commercial spot heater, you know one that runs on kerosene or diesel for about 4 hours on a tank of fuel.

My thoughts were to push the heat through the box, put a vent at the top and just run it for 4 to 6 hours to achieve a high enough internal temp to kill all the bugs.

I sort of concocted a trial version and it seemed to work. Ran 4 hours drilled hole in some 4/4 walnut and temp was 140 degrees.

Am I ok trying this, or losing my buggy mind.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Some controversy on this. Know that actual kiln drying will kill all bugs, it's an inner temperature thing. Most softwood lumber kilns operate below 115 °C (239 °F) temperature. Hardwood lumber kiln drying schedules typically keep the dry bulb temperature below 80 °C (176 °F). Difficult-to-dry species might not exceed 60 °C (140 °F). Dehumidification kilns are very similar to conventional kilns in basic construction.

Many argue, especially in Southern US areas that simply putting the wood into a black plastic envelope made of sheathing plastic, and a lot of tape to close it up, and then allowed to sit in the sun for several days will also reach these temps. Kiln operators suggest they will, but only on the outside of the wood, not in the center of the boards like a kiln will do.

They also argue improper drying, can/will lead to wonky results to the wood. This page is from Forest Products listed near the top left is a list of many problems associated with poor drying.

So to answer your question, if you have small money involved with the wood to begin with, what the heck, give home drying a whirl. If you have a lot of money involved in your wood pile, OR, if it represents a lot of $$$$$$ then going to a local place and finding out what charge they will make for just kiln drying your wood might be a smart one. You can also build a small home kiln for little money, just keep in mind a lot of folks have done this to find they don't know the ins, and outs of kiln drying wood, and I'll refer you back to that list from F P.


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## becikeja (Sep 12, 2010)

I have never done it, but I am told that if the pieces are small enough you can stack them in the oven to achieve these results.


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

I fear no bug or beetle as I have a homemade kiln constructed from scavenged material and powered by a little space heater & desktop fan. It takes me more four hours to dry my stock, though.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> I have never done it, but I am told that if the pieces are small enough you can stack them in the oven to achieve these results.
> 
> - becikeja


Yes and if a guy had an oven out in his shop he'd be set for that. Otherwise I would only use the oven in our house IF SWMBO was on an extended trip. Most species cooking in an oven give off a distinctly NON foodlike smell.


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## becikeja (Sep 12, 2010)

> I have never done it, but I am told that if the pieces are small enough you can stack them in the oven to achieve these results.
> 
> - becikeja
> 
> ...


There are risks with everything in life…….


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## BFamous (Jan 26, 2018)

Dumb question:
Could you make a plastic envelope and throw in a standard bug bomb or two? Would that kill off any bugs in the wood?

Or do you need a specific chemical for treating bugs in the wood?


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