I am getting ready to start a big project with some maple, wormy. The wood is beautiful, but has some insect boring. I’m looking for opinions on what to do. I’m not going to throw it out.
Thanks
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I'd use what I could too. It's hard to tell how much of it you can use until you mill it. You don't see all the holes or how deep they go. Some say they add character as long as it's not too far gone. Unless the holes are very small, I try to avoid using worm damaged wood except for test pieces.
A friend gave me several 6 in. X 6 in. X 16 ft. ash logs which his father had milled about 40 to 50 years earlier and air dried. They had been stored in various outbuildings and moved from site to site over time. They all had insect damage, some so much so that they would crumble rather than cut. However, I resawed them into boards and subsequently made several tables for friends and myself with the best parts. I told all the gift recipients that the wood was wormy ash. I used a simple stain followed by polyurethane finish on all. The grain structure on the wood was excellent and all pieces of furniture are still in use without further decay several years later.