Powder Post Beatles

[Billy Siler]

I've been asked to build a chest/coffee table out of some 100+year old pine out of a nieghbors grandparents house. They want some of the old paint left showing (I know lead paint). It has 4 layers of paint. I took a couple of boards and scraped it down to a little of the first coat left on in the grain and so forth. Doing this I noticed powder post beatle holes. I've planned on using some type of wax finish on top. Is there a way to exterminate the bugs. I've heard freezing might work. Fummigation might be a option but would this hinder finishing the chest?
Any ideas?
Billy

[Scott T Smith]

Billy, the only method recommended by the Forestry Products Lab is heat sterilization. You need to heat the core of the lumber to 133F or higher for at least 30 minutes in order to destroy the eggs and larvae. I personally like to keep it at that temp for at least 4 hours.

FWW magazine had an article a year or two back about a home shop sterilization chamber that you can build and operate yourself for not a lot of $. Send me an e-mail if you would like a copy of the article.

Scott