"speed" drying & killing bugs in small pieces of wood?

[Ken Platt]

Folks - I am about to cut some 1 to 1.25 inch thick pieces (about 15 inches long, 12 inches wide) out of a crotch section of red oak, and would like to speed up the drying process so I can use them in a timely fashion. I will only need 5/8" thickness out of these pieces, but wanted to allow for warping and remachining. I have air dried lots of wood, so I understand the issues and why you can't really speed dry, especially in a regular oven, to anything like a workable MC without ruining the wood.

But, I definitely need to kill the bugs that are in it, and if I could kind of get a jump on drying, that would be a bonus.

So, what times, temps, reg oven vs microwave, kills the bugs?

After that, is there some sort of regimen I could follow, such as an hour a day in the oven on lowest setting, maybe with a dish of water in there to slow things down, or a few hits in the microwave a day for a week, or something like that?

I'm figuring I'm not the first guy to need a particular bit of wood dry enough to work faster than the usual year-per-inch.

Also, if anyone has tried this with red oak, any comments on the odor? I find wet red oak to have a kind of sour odor, not pleasant but not awful. My wife, OTOH, walked into the shop and asked why it smelled like vomit. I'm a bit worried about the smell if I actually heat the stuff up. In the kitchen.

If anyone is curious, I am hoping to get a couple of pieces with serious figure to use as centerpieces in a bed headboard and footboard. It's mission style, with slats, and these pieces will be the center slats.....I hope. Here is a picture of the one I am working towards: http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/20503/arts-and-crafts-morris-bed

Thanks for all thoughts, experiences, advice, etc -

Ken

[Cody Colston]

You can't speed dry Oak without ruining it. It's one of the harder woods to dry properly. The safe drying rate for 4/4 Red Oak is 3.8% MC loss per day. Exceed that rate for even one day and the stock can be ruined with checks, honeycomb, case hardening, etc. Be aware also that the most degrade occurs in the initial drying stages which is what you are planning.

Sterilization of the lumber is normally done at the end of the drying cycle. The core needs to be heated to a miimum of 133 degrees for at least four hours...longer is better. You will need something around 160 degrees to get the core to 133 deg.

To kill the bugs present, you can apply a borate solution to the lumber. In the sawing and drying section here, there's a recipe for making a product similar to Boracare or Timbor. It may not kill all existing larvae so you will still need to sterilize with heat after properly drying so that the bugs don't hatch out later.

I've played around with drying small pieces in a microwave just for laughs but I didn't document anything. Perhaps someone in the turning forum can give more input because I read about it somewhere back when I was turning a lot.

[Dan Hahr]

I don't know if it will kill the bugs but I've dried wood in the fridge very quickly with acceptable results. I left it in for about a month but it was mostly dry in 2 weeks. It did warp a bit but I didn't have a way of keeping it flat. If I did it again I'd stack and sticker it and strap it together as it dried.

Dan

[Dan Hahr]

Zoom in on the board for the dates and weights of the board. I think you could put it in the deep freeze to kill off any bugs, but I'd wait until it was mostly dry.

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Dan

[Jim Andrew]

The bugs in Kansas survive the cold. Only heat kills them.

[Rollie Kelly]

You might vacuum dry them in a vacuum bag. Woodmizer used to sell vacuum kilns. You might get the procedure from them.
As far as the insects, they might either explode or totally desicate.;)
Rollie

[John Donhowe]

Bugs can also survive microwaving :)

[Allan Speers]

To kill the bugs present, you can apply a borate solution to the lumber. In the sawing and drying section here, there's a recipe for making a product similar to Boracare or Timbor. It may not kill all existing larvae so you will still need to sterilize with heat after properly drying so that the bugs don't hatch out later. .

Cody, it will indeed kill the larvae, even before they develop. The borates dry out their surfaces and the dehydrate to death very quickly.

The key is often to use ethylene glycol, not propylene, as E.G. has better penetrating properties. It IS toxic, though, so you have to exercise a little care. Best to cook it up outside if possible, otherwise clean-up is a real PITA. Or, just buy the pre-made stuff if you can afford it.

Of course, Ken is only dealing with 1.5" thick boards, so the much safer (completely benign, in fact) polypropylene glycol will work just fine.

[Ken Platt]

Thanks folks. Based on Cody's info, I guess I'll find something else for that focal point slat on the bed. Since I've already started cutting up the crotch pieces, I guess I'll finish and and set them aside to dry for use eventually. I ordered some Boracare for the bugs. I read Allan's post on making your own, but I didn't feel like trying that as yet although I do have a few hundred bf of cottonwood drying on the front porch which might need debugging. At $70 per gallon, that stuff isn't cheap! But supposedly the gallon will cover 800 bf.

Ken