wormy maple

[huckfinn]

Would you use a piece of soft maple if it had some wormholes in it.  There aren't enough holes to hurt the look of the finished stock  It has been sitting in the barn for about 15 years and it looks like the powder post beetles got to it.  I have heard some say they wouldn't even bring it into their house for fear of getting the beetles in the lumber of their home. 

[Scott Semmel]

I would be more worried about the "soft" part than the holes.

[b bogart]

I made a gun with worm holes in the wood. Got it cheap because of them. But it was a hard piece of maple.





They don't show too bad. As it is my first from a blank I didn't have to worry about ruining an expensive blank either.

[Dennis Glazener]

I suspect you will find that when you cut into the wood to make a stock you will find worm tunnels full of sawdust inside. I had that experience, a friend gave me a nice long, wide piece of maple to make some stocks out of. Took it to Fred Miller and had him duplicate a VA Valley rifle stock and as many 13/16's barrel inletted blanks as he could get out of the rest. I ended up with one duplicated stock and 3 more blanks, all four were full of worm holes/tunnels! No hiding them all you could do was antique the rest of the gun to match the worm eaten stock! The VA rifle looked pretty good when finished.
Dennis

[Kermit]

Find a local woodworker who has a small shop "dry kiln" and stick it in there. Heat kills any living bugs. Stopping them is pretty important. You may find more of those tunnels when you start cutting, but the outside is pretty much indicative of what you're likely to find.

[huckfinn]

Thanks for all the input.  Will let you know how it turns out.  It's on its way to be planed down to start laying out a nice Tennessee rifle. 

[Jim Filipski]

Finndog,
 If you think there still are live critters in there. ( active dust piles)  Now that's when you use acetone!  ( Or lacquer thinner) Those type of solvents run right down their wormy holes  and dehydrate them quickly

[RonT]

That's not wormy...this is wormy.
R

[woodsrunner]

Finndog,  don't be concerned about bringing the wood into your house.....
Recalling from my forest entomology classess, Powder Post Beetles aka Old House Borers, will immediately vacate the premises when human activity is present as in noise! Just walk around talking or turn the radio on and the beetles will leave immediately.

[Joe Stein]

"...turn the radio on and the beetles will leave immediately."

So you could use The Beatles to cause the beetles to leave?

I couldn't resist that one.

-Joe Stein

[Kermit]

Nah, maybe the Stones or Herman's Hermits. Maybe Donovan. 

[huckfinn]

Well, I cut that wormy maple plank today.  It is rough but tomorrow I will sand it with the big drum sander.  Maybe have  a picture for you then.  there are quite a few wormholes in the butt end.  The wood is solid and plenty hard. 

[Roger Fisher]

Well, I cut that wormy maple plank today.  It is rough but tomorrow I will sand it with the big drum sander.  Maybe have  a picture for you then.  there are quite a few wormholes in the butt end.  The wood is solid and plenty hard. 

Round toothpicks with stained glue.   Should be an improvement over the holes.

[westerner]

That's not wormy...this is wormy.
R

You call that wormy? This is wormy!  Actually they're ant holes.





                      Joe.

[pathfinder]

"Ole Wormy",my .40 smooth rifle built by Anson Morgan. Out shoots all my other gun's!