Wormy Boxelder

[Yonak Hawkins]

I have a number of pieces of boxelder which may or may not be suitable for box tops or decorative highlights. These pieces are about 16" X 7" and smaller. The thing is they've got wormholes. Do you think these pieces of figured boxelder have any value or are they bound for my wood stove ?

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[Andrew Seemann]

I have a number of pieces of boxelder which may or may not be suitable for box tops or decorative highlights. These pieces are about 16" X 7" and smaller. The thing is they've got wormholes. Do you think these pieces of figured boxelder have any value or are they bound for my wood stove ?


Boxelder can be quite pretty. The red will eventually fade, especially if exposed to sunlight. If you have a good place to use them (and if the beetles are dead), no reason not to use them. If it helps your decision, boxelder doesn't make great firewood:)

[George Makra]

What Adrew said is correct plus it really likes to crack.

[Michelle Rich]

if you are worried about the bugs, and they will fit in your stove, you can heat them for a few hours to kill the bugs. You would have to look up the temp ..google it

[Howard Pollack]

They would make very fancy draw fronts. -Howard

[Jim Becker]

Turners nearly "kill" for that stuff....

If there is active insects, they can/should be killed via heating, etc. before using in a project, but the wood itself can be extraordinarily beautiful when employed with creativity. Because of how striking it is, using it for effect as a box top or embellishment is a great idea. Building something completely out of it might be too much/too busy. Of course, that's a very subjective thing...

[Andrew Seemann]

What Andrew said is correct plus it really likes to crack.

Yes, I forgot about the cracking. It can warp with drying if the grain isn't relatively straight. Speaking of grain, it can be really twisted and curly. Again very pretty, but it can be challenging to work with. Smaller accent pieces would probably be the best use for what is in the pictures. Get them glued into place shortly after being cut though, before they have a chance to get squirrelly.

[Earl McLain]

Jim Becker nailed it--i was drooling on the photos. Would indeed oven dry it (looks small enough to fit in my vacuum oven which may help with the issue, but heat is the key). Most likely i'd stabilize as well. Pens would look great but tubes would need to be painted--or more and more lately i'm turning down to close to finished size then flooding in lapis or turquoise powder with CA glue. As bottle stoppers--awesome. For lids on flat boxes--yep, but i'd have to pair it with the right base wood so they don't fight each other.
earl