Replies

1. 
   JeffKurtz | Jun 26, 2003 01:00am | #1

   Clay,

   Not being a Texan, I can't really comment on the various bugs and other critters you have down there that may infest wood.  However, regardless of where one lives, dry rot (any rot) is almost always assosiated with the growth of fungus and must be stopped ASAP or it will continue to spread.  There are commercial fungicides available, but some folks just use plain old bleach which will also do the job.

   No need to apologize for your spelling.  Az lawng az wee kin figger owt wat u meen, its good enuf.

   Jeff

1. 
   millerc7 | Jun 26, 2003 08:32pm | #3

   Thanks Jeff;

   We have termites, chiggers, ants, ticks, roaches...

   Mostly wanted to get rid of the termites, ants, and young scorpions. Had a few crawl from the cracks while cutting.

   Don't want to use bleach, it will 'bleach' out the color variations. Fungicides may also since that is what makes the dark lines.

   I'll post a note later with what I've found. This is a common problem that when solved could keep a lot of beutifully figured wood from being burned.

2. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jun 26, 2003 07:54am | #2

   I did a similar thing, but ultimately threw away a lot of the lumber.   I took down a nearly-dead oak.  Some of it was sound, but a lot of it had punky streaks running through it.  I slabbed it and dried it anyway.  When I attempted to make stuff from it, the punky stuff turned into a problem.  It acted like compacted sawdust.  It would absorb enormous amounts of varnish, but still look like sawdust -- it wouldn't develop a solid surface, and it wouldn't get shiny like the solid lumber around it.  The tree mostly became fire wood.

   What could you do?  I can think of two things to try.  One would be to get the lumber to nearly the finished thickness, and then drench it with epoxy intended for fiberglassing.  Maybe it will penetrate the punkiness far enough, and cure in place, so when you do the final planing you have a stable surface.  Another possibility are the products called restoration epoxies -- or something like that.  They are sold to stabilize rotted exterior trim on houses.   They're fairly weak as epoxies go, but they're intended to penetrate.   There's info on this kind of epoxy at http://www.woodrestoration.com/.

1. 
   millerc7 | Jun 26, 2003 08:36pm | #4

   Thanks Jamie;

   I was thinking along those lines. Will look into the site. Will try the Dept of Ag or ATM to see if they have any ideas, as well as boat restorers.

   I'll post a note with my findings. This is a common problem.

   Clay

2. 
   Kevin | Jun 28, 2003 04:15am | #5

   I thought about suggesting the epoxy idea the other day. But, this really isn't my area of expertise so I figured I'd just sit on my hands and see if someone else suggested it. LOL

   I do think that if it works, the epoxy soaked wood probably would be more difficult to stain. I'm sure that once it's planed and sanded it'd take some color. But, I wouldn't expect it to take as much color or perhaps even as uniformly as normal Red Oak does.

   Regards,

   Kevin

3. 
   stancalow | Jun 28, 2003 05:34pm | #6

   Clay

   Minwax makes a product called Wood Hardener that should be available in most hardware stores.  It's intended use is to stabilize rotted wood as in rotted window sills or door frames.  I don't know what its effect may be on the appearance, texture or workability of furniture grade wood.  I don't know what its made of, except its got a lot of solvent in it.  It is a liquid, not a gel, viscous fluid or epoxy. 

   I've used it in home repair but not on anything else.  I can't say whether it worked or not, because I ended up replacing the rotted wood anyway. 

   Stan2