Thread: Hoop pines and borers.

Originally Posted by jw001

Hi All, first time.I have a small property on NSW North coast.There are 10 large camphors (some good straight trunks) 20 large to medium Hoop pines (mostly straight) and 12 medium to small scrappy Paulownias which all have to come down. I aim to get a Lucas to mill what I can.Can anyone help with info re borers in the hoops (I hear there are several types).Are they present in live trees, can you tell, how do I preserve felled trees.Any thoughts, on hoops or others would be welcome.

I'm not keen on heavy chemicals but its probably the most effective way to deal with it (and maybe kill you latter) Or something kinder to the environment like Boron they say. Heard from quite a few people the practise of getting a large container full of boron solution and dump each slab off the mill into it before stacking.

I picked up some hoop cheap from a local supplier that was full of powder post borer, that he was burning off slowly. Still I had to pay for it. .. It doesn't just run along the edges either around the sap like most timbers. It didn't have a problem eating its way all the way through. I took it anyway, because I didn't want to pay much for timber that was only going to be used for ruffing out a design, and I didn't have the problem of it spreading to my timber at home because as soon as I got it home I kilned and steamed it. kills it. eggs and all. All parts I make see either the kiln or steamer before construction, so its never a worry for me.

From my limited understanding, powder post borer is the biggest problem because it doesn't abandon timber stacks once a life cycles up. And it'll eat dry timber unlike some pests. And once its in there sprays can't get to it effectively. Kilning/steaming at high temp maybe the only way to kill it, which I'd say is a big deal with many cube.
The only other one I've come across is call 'false powder post borer'. Its a similar looking beetle but bigger holes. But not as bad as the regular type in that it moves on more regularly (apparently).

If you mill hoop, best to do it in winter, and bake the faces of the slabs in the sun for as long as possible before stacking in the shade, to stop the blue stain developing.. I'd even go further than that and fan the slabs for a few weeks to ensure all surface moistures gone so they don't mould up too much. blue mould stains in hoop looks average in my opinion. It looks alright in some other pines I feel, but not hoop. ….. or put it straight into a kiln somewhere.

camphor resists pests pretty well, but theres something that chews on it too apparently. I've seen the odd hole in camphor slabs, but no major infestation. I'd look at ways to ensure mould doesn't develop in camphor as well. Ventilate the stacks well.

don't know much about paulownia. don't want to know about it. too soft. Encouraged to like it, as well as red cedar, to support local blokes and town history, but just doesn't suit my work. Good for surfboards apparently.

just an opinion. Not an expert on anything. 2 cents worth .

Yep soak as much as possible in Boron solution keeps the bugs away. Kiln drying works but doesn't stop the bugs getting in when the timber comes out of the kilns, they like the dry almost better than the green.