[Black Thorn]

Hello to stickmakers wherever you are!

I've really enjoyed reading the hints and tips in the forums ,but one area I'm not clear on is treatment of sticks for the prevention of woodworm .
How nesassary is this? Some UK sites advised coating the sticks with woodworm solution when cut and again after a years seasoning. Also what's the best way to apply it? I currently use a 6 feet piece of guttering with end caps , fill it half full with solution and dip 2/3 at a time. Id love to know how others treat theres.

Also wondered if anyone uses a tapered tenon cutter to give a smooth fitting ferrel? Or does everyone carve these.

 

[cobalt]

I just shape the shank to fit the ferrel with a chisel and knife then finish it with sandpaper. its not a long job.

I have never coated the shanks with a woodworm solution havnt seen any sign of it on the shanks i use.

If i did see any sigh of woodworm i would ditch the stick. its asking for trouble. and its just not worth it.

You can apply the woodworm killer by brush just dont dilute it ,use gloves and do it in a well ventilated area

 

[Sean]

Welcome to the forum. I have a tenon cutter (Veritas) but I prefer to carve out my own to fit.

 

[MJC4]

I hand carve the tenon.

I am with Cobalt I have not had a problem with insects in or on my stick blanks, (yet). If I were to suspect infestation I would burn the wood in question.

 

[Black Thorn]

Thanks for the replys , much appreciated.

 

[gdenby]

As far as wood worm goes, heat treatment may be as effective, if not more so than a pesticide solution. I cure my sticks in an uninsulated garage, and during the summer, the temperature rises to around 140F, perhaps more. The combination of heat and dryness makes the bugs die, 'tho the rate may be rather slow depending on the level of heat and how wet the wood was at the beginning. If you have a sunny place, I think wood placed under black landscaping plastic will reach almost 200F.

The problem w. the solutions is that they may not penetrate far enough in. I've tried stabilizing wood a few times without pressure, and it took over 2 weeks for all sign of air bubbles to stop, and that was for a stick about 1" thick.

FWIW, early on, I worked on a stick that had some worm damage. Was almost finished when i dropped it, and it snapped. There was an area in the center that was quite rotten. Now, if I find worm traces, I dig in to see how deep the channels go. If more than just on the surface, I pitch the stick.

 

[Black Thorn]

Very interesting , thanks for the advice, not sure I could reach those temperatures in the UK,though I like the black plastic option.