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| Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=29093 |
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| Author: | Michael Smith [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
I suppose it is possible to import a bugs in air dried wood but almost all beetles and termites require a supply of water. It could be supplied in the wood if the moisture content was very high or it could come from contact with soil, etc. I don't know of any bugs that could sustain life in wood with low moisture content and no available source of water that could ruin a wood stash. |
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| Author: | JJ Donohue [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
To your point, Chris...I believe that imported wood is treated for such critters. It's domestic wood that concerns me. My brother has been selectively logging for walnut, cherry, etc. on his land in western PA for the past 4 years. Much has been slabbed into 2-3" planks and stickered outside in a covered building. It's soon to be planed and moved indoors to reduce moisture content further. I'll be getting some select billets which I wish to make certain will not cross contaminate my stash. Hopefully the experts with experience will enlighten us so we can sleep peacefully! |
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| Author: | Terry Stowell [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
Chris you're not gonna believe this. Went to close shop last night about 12:30 and I heard critter munching up near the basement ceiling, where a small stack of wood was suspended from the floor joists (ceiling). I had a 3 X 4 mahogany neck blank, some 1 X 4 mahogany, some maple and EIRW. I got the flashlight and mirror out and tried to pinpoint the bug, as It sounded very faint, but distinct. (if you've ever heard a pine beetle munching, you know what I mean) Pine Sawyer Beetle (Ergates spiculatus) Attachment: thumbnail.aspx.jpeg Pine beetles are large and don't infest like other smaller creature that you might not see until you slice the wood open. SO I was hopeful to find it within a few moments. I tried not to upset it (they can be temperamental and menacing) It struck me that I had just put the guinea pig in her cage upstairs, in a metal cage, on a metal table, which stood on a oak floor. This was directly above my head in the basement. She was chewing on the metal bars. So if you ever HEAR those munchers, you might just have a guinea pig living above your woodpile. (mine was Abyssinian) Easy to detect, easy to take care of. No cause for alarm. Attachment: thumbnail-1.aspx.jpeg
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| Author: | CharlieT [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:46 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
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| Author: | Edward Taylor [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
verhoevenc wrote: Or, you got another luthier nightmare you fear? Well, I didn't have any before this thread... |
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| Author: | Mark Groza [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:04 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
I find most borer damage happens while the wood is seasoning. Once the seasoning process is done it is quite rare to have it happen, but can. It's always good to look over a new board for the telltail borer holes made by these bugs and if found, keep it away from your stash until it is made safe. The infested board can be made safe by injecting a mixture of RV antifreeze & boric acid 50/50 percent into the any borerholes found. Or you can use Bayer Advanced as it has been known to stop infestation when sprayed on a live tree from borers as well. |
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| Author: | John Mayes [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
CharlieT wrote: :shock: Well that's one way to get your fiber...... |
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| Author: | Eric Reid [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
I live in a climate that's particularly friendly to bugs that eat wood. We've got carpenter ants, and carpenter bees, and subterranean termites, and tropical termites, and long horn beetle larvae, and powder post beetle larvae, and I'm sure, plenty of others that I don't know about. Here's a blurry picture of some long horn beetle larva damage to Douglas Fir heartwood: Attachment: shrunk fir.JPG Okay, that was a log that been sitting on the forest floor for two years. It gets worse. I used to work for a company down the road that makes nice classical guitars. Their finisher came in one morning to find that someone had drilled a 1/16" hole in the top of a guitar she had been French polishing. The hole was perfectly round and clean sided, and had gone through the shellac and into the spruce top, and the Spanish cedar neck. She was angry. The guitar had Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and custom features for an overseas customer. Some investigation revealed: The hole was made by a powder post beetle; the firewood pile outside the building was infested with them; they had also made their home in an oak desk in the office, and they were attracted to the odor of shellac! Attachment: pd1760247.jpg Attachment: Hemicoelus damage1_1.JPG Sweet dreams. |
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| Author: | CharlieT [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:20 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
John Mayes wrote: Well that's one way to get your fiber...... Yes indeedy!  
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| Author: | bob_connor [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
I fumigate the workshop with these every three or four months. Pack of three cost about 15 bucks. I process a lot of Blackwood from green billets and some of it still has the bark on it (which the bugs love) so it's a bit of insurance. Attachment: ControlBomb_l.jpg
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| Author: | BobK [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 5:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
Not too irrational. I bought a box of scraps from my local woodcraft. I pulled out a nice piece of redwood burl and left it on the dining room table for a few weeks while the rest went into the garage. Later I noticed small piles of dust appearing next to pinholes in the burl. One hour in the oven at 200* cured the problem. It was also the only infected piece. |
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| Author: | Stuart Gort [ Thu Sep 16, 2010 7:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
Even worse....hungry bugs are built into the neck and eat their way out during shipping. Sleep well gentlemen. |
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| Author: | SteveSmith [ Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Wood Bug Fear: Irrational Luthier Nightmares |
CharlieT wrote: :shock: I can see why he's(?) in a padded room 
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