Question for Woodworkers

[Hogmauler]

This past December my wife purchased a really nice piece of mesquite that was cut in the shape of Texas. A few days later I noticed that some saw dust had fallen off of it onto the coffee table so I wiped it up and went on. Next day it was back. I took a closer look and found small pin holes in the wood. Is there a worm or beetle in the wood and how do kill em? Please don't tell me to light on side on fire and stab em with an ice pick when they crawl out on the other!

[fulmer34]

We just call em wood borers, they only attack mesquite. Never really worried about trying to kill them. I would imagine spraying it with a gold general pesticide should kill em. I'm not a woodworker.

[Hogmauler]

Pesticide would probably be too stinky. Was thinking about neatsfoot oil or something you may treat a chopping block with.

[TexasBob]

Food saver bag for a week should do it. Submerging in water too I would think.

[gumbl3]

What about covering with some table top epoxy? Looks nice and would seal it forever

[Hogmauler]

That's a great idea but I like the natural look.

[DaveS903]

Any reason why you couldn't put it in the deep freeze for a couple of days?

[dustoffer]

Any reason why you couldn't put it in the deep freeze for a couple of days?

Or, in the oven on say 150 for couple of hours--

[BrandonH]

Any reason why you couldn't put it in the deep freeze for a couple of days?

This is what I was going to recommend. I've don't it for similar issues.

[TxAg]

Haha i've had a similar issue and was scratching my head as to where the sawdust came from. I never bothered to fix it and eventually it stopped. Let us know how you handle it.

[lanmark]

I had some mesquite milled, my buddy owns an ice house. I left it in there for 90 days at 18 degrees, when i picked it up and took it home the bores were making noise chewing before i could get it stacked. A wood worker told me they run it through a kiln at 300 degrees. For the one bug in a piece of wood i used a hyper dermic syringe and squirted a little bug killer down his hole. Worked like a charm.

[Mudslinger]

Lots of money paid for furniture that has that "distressed" look. Just saying.

[Hogmauler]

Im more distressed than the wood!

[adam_p]

Powder post beetles. They are a pain in the rear. I'd throw the wood in the trash and buy another just because I wouldn't want it in my shop.