Question
A while back I bought a bunch of hard maple from a local sawmill because it was cut it for an order that had fallen through. Well I got a good deal on the maple so I bought it and have dried about half of it. I put the wood up on sticks as soon as I got it and then put the stacks in a shady area and covered the stacks.
All was good until the other day I noticed that after I had planed some of the boards for a customer that the entire length of the board was dotted with small pin holes about the size of bird shot. In fact it looked like the boards had been shot with a shotgun. The lumber had been sawn on a circular mill and with the rough surface the small holes are not very noticeable until the wood is planed.
My question/dilemma is - were the boards sold to me this way and are therefore the sawmiller’s fault? Could the stacks of maple been attacked by some kind of bug while drying or after kiln drying?
To me the holes look like powder post beetles but I don't know if they attack maple or not. I kind of doubt that they would go after kiln dried wood that was stored in the shop. Not all the boards have holes but I've found enough that this is a major problem. I would appreciate it if anyone had any info on how these small holes got there and if it was most likely in the logs or problem came during drying process.
Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
It is impossible to diagnose and identify this insect by e-mail. There are two main possibilities - ambrosia beetle and powderpost beetle. The first prefers wetter wood and is commonly found in air drying, especially slow air drying. The second is not so common and is usually a result of exposure to other wood that is infected and is only is drier wood. In either case, it is not the sawmiller's problem.
The slow drying mentioned gives strong evidence that they are ambrosia beetles that thrive in such drying conditions. Oftentimes we can see these insect holes in the stickers as well. Did you look at the stickers?
Common Lumber Name | A | B | C |
Hardwoods | |||
Alder, Red | 9.9 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Apple | 10.9 | 31.7 | 4132 |
Ash, Black | 9.3 | 23.4 | 4132 |
Ash, Green | 14.3 | 27.6 | 3590 |
Aspen, Bigtooth | 10.3 | 18.7 | 2439 |
Aspen, Quaking | 10.3 | 18.2 | 2373 |
Basswood | 6.2 | 16.6 | 2174 |
Beech, American | 8.9 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Birch, Paper | 8.8 | 25.0 | 3260 |
Birch, Sweet | 11.9 | 31.2 | 4065 |
Birch, Yellow | 9.2 | 28.6 | 3723 |
Buckeye | 8.9 | 17.2 | 2235 |
Butternut | 11.3 | 18.7 | 2440 |
Cherry | 13.8 | 24.4 | 3184 |
Chesnut, American | 11.6 | 20.8 | 2708 |
Cottonwood | 8.5 | 16.1 | 2102 |
Dogwood | 6.8 | 33.3 | 4331 |
Elm, American | 10.2 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Elm, Rock | 12.2 | 29.6 | 3860 |
Elm, slippery | 11.5 | 25.0 | 3251 |
Hackberry | 11.8 | 25.5 | 3319 |
Hickory, Bitternut (Pecan) | 14.7 | 31.2 | 4062 |
Hickory (True) | |||
Hickory, Mockernut | 9.1 | 33.3 | 4332 |
Hickory, Pignut | 9.3 | 34.3 | 4332 |
Hickory, Shagbark | 10.9 | 33.3 | 4333 |
Hickory, Shellbark | 6.6 | 32.2 | 4195 |
Holly, American | 8.3 | 26.0 | 3387 |
Hophornbeam, Eastern | 7.9 | 32.8 | 4266 |
Laurel, California | 15.1 | 26.5 | 3456 |
Locust, Black | 21.2 | 34.3 | 4470 |
Madrone, Pacific | 7.8 | 30.2 | 3925 |
Maple (Soft) | |||
Maple, Bigleaf | 12.8 | 22.9 | 2980 |
Maple, Red | 13.1 | 25.5 | 3318 |
Maple, Silver | 12.4 | 22.9 | 2981 |
Maple (Hard) | |||
Maple, Black | 12.3 | 27.0 | 3523 |
Maple, Sugar | 12.3 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak (Red) | |||
Oak, Black | 11.7 | 29.1 | 3792 |
Oak, California black | 16.4 | 26.5 | 3455 |
Oak, Laurel | 6.3 | 29.1 | 3791 |
Oak, Northern red | 13.6 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak, Pin | 13.0 | 30.2 | 3928 |
Oak, Scarlet | 13.2 | 31.2 | 4065 |
Oak, Southern red | 9.6 | 27.0 | 3520 |
Oak, Water | 10.4 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak, Willow | 6.4 | 29.1 | 3790 |
Oak (White) | |||
Oak, Bur | 15.4 | 30.2 | 3928 |
Oak, Chestnut | 10.1 | 29.6 | 3858 |
Oak, Live | 17.5 | 41.6 | 5417 |
Oak, Overcup | 10.7 | 29.6 | 3860 |
Oak, Post | 11.0 | 31.2 | 4063 |
Oak, Swamp chestnut | 10.7 | 31.2 | 4063 |
Oak, White | 10.8 | 31.2 | 4062 |
Persimmon | 7.0 | 33.3 | 4332 |
Sweetgum | 8.9 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Sycamore | 10.7 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Tanoak | 9.0 | 30.2 | 3926 |
Tupelo, Black | 10.4 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Tupelo, Water | 12.4 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Walnut | 13.4 | 26.5 | 3454 |
Willow, Black | 8.6 | 18.7 | 2438 |
Yellow-poplar | 10.6 | 20.8 | 2708 |
Common Lumber Name | A | B | C |
Softwoods | |||
Baldcypress | 13.2 | 21.9 | 2844 |
Cedar, Alaska | 14.4 | 21.9 | 2844 |
Cedar, Atlantic white | 10.9 | 16.1 | 2100 |
Cedar, eastern red | 16.4 | 22.9 | 2981 |
Cedar, Incense | 13.1 | 18.2 | 2371 |
Cedar, Northern white | 11.1 | 15.1 | 1964 |
Cedar, Port-Orford | 12.6 | 20.2 | 2641 |
Cedar, Western red | 12.2 | 16.1 | 2100 |
Douglas-fir, Coast type | 12.3 | 23.4 | 3049 |
Douglas-fir, Interior west | 13.2 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Douglas-fir, Interior north | 14.0 | 23.4 | 3048 |
Fir, Balsam | 9.9 | 17.2 | 2236 |
Fir, California red | 10.6 | 18.7 | 2437 |
Fir, Grand | 10.7 | 18.2 | 2371 |
Fir, Noble | 10.1 | 19.2 | 2507 |
Fir, Pacific silver | 10.4 | 20.8 | 2711 |
Fir, Subalpine | 10.5 | 16.1 | 2101 |
Fir, White | 12.2 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Hemlock, Eastern | 12.6 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Hemlock, Western | 11.5 | 21.8 | 2847 |
Larch, Western | 11.3 | 25.0 | 3251 |
Pine, Eastern white | 12.3 | 17.7 | 2303 |
Pine, Lodgepole | 11.5 | 19.8 | 2576 |
Pine, Ponderosa | 12.6 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Pine, Red | 12.2 | 21.3 | 2777 |
Southern yellow group | |||
Pine, Loblolly | 12.9 | 24.4 | 3183 |
Pine, Longleaf | 15.0 | 28.1 | 3658 |
Pine, Shortleaf | 12.9 | 24.4 | 3183 |
Pine, Sugar | 12.6 | 17.7 | 2302 |
Pine, Western white | 10.0 | 18.2 | 2370 |
Redwood, Old growth | 14.9 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Redwood, Second growth | 13.2 | 17.7 | 2302 |
Spruce, Black | 11.3 | 19.8 | 2575 |
Spruce, Engelmann | 10.0 | 17.2 | 2234 |
Spruce, Red | 10.6 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Spruce, Sitka | 10.8 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Tamarack | 12.0 | 25.5 | 3318 |