During the process of drying and keeping inside your home , the wood you have found in the wild forests , there is something you should know , so you can avoid “surprises” .

See this little misfortune of me .

As i’ve told you in my previous post , i like very much to search , “hunt” and find wood for my projects , in a primary form , from the forests .

So a couple of years before , during one of my long lasting forest walks i ‘ve found cut and in a very good shape , a very nice wooden branch of wild mulberry tree .

I liked it at once , it had the diameter i like for the wooden sticks i use during my walks in the forest . Without second thought , i put out of my backpack , my folding saw and i cut a piece about 2 meters long(maybe a little more longer ) .

Gandalf of the “Lord Of the Rings” , had a Wooden Stick too !!!

I cutted it so long , because i’m 1.93 height and i like my sticks being , big with enough diameter and look like the Gandalf’s one , from the Lord of the Rings .

Another reason is that , when i’ll make my final cuts to bring it in my likeable measures , some of it would be gone . So with my wooden happiness and “insticts” , fully satisfied , i took the road back to home .

After my final cuts concerning the length of the wooden stick , very carefully , because the mulberry tree is sensitive to drying , i let it dry for a couple of weeks .

Back then i didn’t know anything about the correct drying process and i made the big mistake , peeling off the mulberry stick .

This big mistake , was my first basic one , because when you peel off the wood before the drying , you get cracks in your wood .

So the correct approach is to leave the wood ( any type – any size ) with its peel and after the dying process , you peel it off and continue , to what you want with it .

What was my other , big Woodworking Mistake ?

My other big , colossal , “newbie” mistake was the presence of wood bugs inside the mulberry wooden stick and me not knowing what wood bugs are and how to recognize them to your wood .

Yes , after the drying process ( the wrong one , with the peel off ) and the work i did to make its surface smooth , rubbing it for so many hours , by hand , my new wooden stick was so beautiful .

The feeling in my hands was “magical” and together we ‘ve made so many walks in the forest . But the “story” didn’t have a nice end .

How i discovered ( very late , from my wooden floor and my pockets !! ) , that inside the stick bugs existed ?

Every time i went to grab it and go outside for a walk , or everything , in the floor( i kept it inside ) , i was seeing , dust . Something like a flour , something like that .

I didn’t pay any attention in this and i thought that it was maybe dust from the road , or whatever .

But sometimes , when the TV was closed and complete silence inside the room existed , i listened constantly something like a crackling from somewhere i couldn’t focus on .

And always the next time i was going to take my stick for our walks , the “flour” dust was always there .

I cleaned the area , but it didn’t go anywhere . Even if the windows were closed and the dust from the outside wasn’t an “excuse” anymore .

Taking the wood in my hands , the shock was big . The down side was full in holes , loaded in “flour” dust .

Wood Bug’s teeth eat Wood and Produce White “Flour” Dust .

I spoke to a friend of mine and more “wood experienced” and he told me , to immediately put the stick outside the house , because that crackling i’ve heard was the bug’s teeth , “working” and eating .

I did what he said to me , but it was too late for my wooden floor . The complete replacement was the only road to save my entire’s home floor .

The termites teeth working “silently” , destroyed completely my wooden floor and maybe if i suspected that earlier and don’t let them “work” for weeks , i could have saved my floor .

So if you are a wood worker and the wooden pieces you use for your passionate hobby , aren’t from carpenter shops or anywhere else in the markets , be very carefull for the presence of wood bugs .

Take Action , Protect your Wood Project from Bugs .

So what you should do if you see to avoid your wood’s destroy from wood bugs and fungi ?

First of all you should inspect your wood often . This way you’ll identify problems quick , in order to save the situation .

The moment you’ll see holes in your wood surface ( even the smallest ones ) , see dust like flour in the place you storage your wood , or hear tiny crackling ( you can notice it only in silence ) , or something like that in the surface of you wood , take action .

The first move is to remove the wooden peace , from its place outside in the open , so it won’t infect other wood material .

Then immediately , you should go to the stores and the professionals , in order to take the appropriate bug medicines . Follow the exact orders from the specialists and do what action is needed .

After the bugs “cleaning” you can make whatever else to protect your wood pieces .

A nice wood finishing to your wood , will be nice and it’ll protect it for the future . A wood sealer and then a nice oil and waxes finishing , is a very nice protection for your wood .

I’ve written a nice post and suggest some nice produsts to finish your wood( oils , waxes , shellac et.c ) , without using strong chemicals . You can see more in HERE .

I try to use natural products for my wood ( especially for the indoors ) , but you may like to use products for wood protection , as varnishes – lacquers – paint , et.c for more outdoor or stronger wood protection .

I have a post for you with water based materials , paints and more , in HERE .

Whatever you choose , be safe and happy woodworking .