Is this wood OK to smoke with?

[Vvax]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to stick burning and bought some Oak wood on Craigslist.

Do you guys think this wood will be good to cook with? Looks like some bugs got in there and dug through pretty much the whole thing. Some pieces just have a few holes. Some have some dark circles where the bugs dug through.

Also the last 2 pictures have green moss, and the next one looks like mold.

Also is there any red flags I should look for in wood NOT to use?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[SmokinAl]

Oak is fine, as is any hardwood.
The kinds of wood that are not OK are woods like pine, with pine sap in them.
Fruit woods are very good, cherry, peach, and all the citrus woods.
If you find a wood your not sure about, just get on here and ask & someone will give you the correct answer.
Personally I'm a big fan of oak & hickory, because they are readily available where I'm located.
Al

 

[browneyesvictim]

The oak is good. But it looks like that wood could have been sprayed with pesticide. That wouldn't be an issue for heating wood but not something I would want in my smoker. You could ask the seller, but since you are dealing with a craigslist sale, the credibility of whatever answer you get is zero.

 

[Vvax]

The seller wouldn't say where he got it from, this is a side business for him. He knew I was using for cooking and pesticides didn't come up. What makes it look like it was sprayed with pesticide? Thanks for your reply!

 

[SonnyE]

What you've got there is termite infested Oak.
You are bringing termites into your home and yard.
Burn up the worst of it soon. Very soon. Store it on a solid surface so the termites don't go subterranean and infest other places like your home or outbuildings.
And don't shop on crapslist.

 

[flatbroke]

Most oak trees that fall around here have it to some degree. Never saw a log look like the first photo. Impressive. How much did you pay and for what amount. I’d burn it in my Lang.

 

[Vvax]

Most oak trees that fall around here have it to some degree. Never saw a log look like the first photo. Impressive. How much did you pay and for what amount. I’d burn it in my Lang.

I paid $90 for 1/4 chord. The first picture is pretty much the worst one.

 

[flatbroke]

As SonnyE said don’t store it next to your house or anyother building you like to keep. Subterranean termites will travel looking for fresh wood. The flying termites travel once a year I believe. I have read subterranean termites will dig through concrete also.

 

[Vvax]

What you've got there is termite infested Oak.
You are bringing termites into your home and yard.
Burn up the worst of it soon. Very soon. Store it on a solid surface so the termites don't go subterranean and infest other places like your home or outbuildings.
And don't shop on crapslist.

I took several pieces that had some holes and chopped some up and slammed on the ground, there is nothing crawling on these logs. Thanks for your input, I will be going through all the peices of wood and splitting them further and storing them in the corner of the yard.

 

[normanaj]

You could ask the seller, but since you are dealing with a craigslist sale, the credibility of whatever answer you get is zero.

This is sage advice.

I wouldn't cook with it.

 

[flatbroke]

I took several pieces that had some holes and chopped some up and slammed on the ground, there is nothing crawling on these logs. Thanks for your input, I will be going through all the peices of wood and splitting them further and storing them in the corner of the yard.

Nothing wrong with cooking with wood that has termite worms in them. A lot of people do and don’t know they are there. You typically won’t see them unles they split the wood in half or quarters. I split a lot of oak. 25-28 cords this year so far. 4 cord of eucalyptus too. I’d burn that wood. Just store it carefully and try not to get stuff like that.

 

[browneyesvictim]

The termites, grub worms or whatever might still live in there isn't going to get you sick or even be bad tasting, but if it was sprayed with whatever chemicals to get rid of them....

 

[SonnyE]

You haven't lived until you gather up some gnarly infested oak that looks great for turning on the wood lathe.
Then you notice as you cut into it something odd is flying off of it and discover it's termite parts. :po_O
I had some great looking oak branch that I thought showed great promise for unique turnings. I treated it with BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) and the critters began abandoning ship. I read where microwaving can kill them, so tried that.
I can't say it killed any termites, but it sure ran us out of the house from the fumes.
It did turn into some great firewood for the airtight wood stove. None came out in the ashes, anyway.

If it looks infested, it probably is. The stuff I was trying to work looked really dead and dry. But it had live terdmites in the core. Your picture #4 looks like possibly live dormant termites in it.

I'd use it, but have a good burn going, and feed the infested crap in a little at a time with sticks that are clean.
Putting the infested wood in a hot, fiery chamber insures any critters get incinerated without any problems.
Live and learn. There's cleaner wood available, and now you have an idea what to not bring home. ;)

 

[Vvax]

Sonny. I appreciate your time. I found the culprits for the holes. The roundhead borer. I got a picture.

Termites was a huge concern. But i found 3 of these in 1 log. I'm pretty sure they are the cause.

What do you guys think is the next step?

I read they don't attack homes or cured wood. Should I leave the rest of the wood alone? There is no kind of bugs or anything on the surface. Just the worms inside.

I seen people say they still cook with the wood.

I appreciate and thank you for any help and advice.

 

[SonnyE]

Sonny. I appreciate your time. I found the culprits for the holes. The roundhead borer. I got a picture.

Termites was a huge concern. But i found 3 of these in 1 log. I'm pretty sure they are the cause.

What do you guys think is the next step?

I read they don't attack homes or cured wood. Should I leave the rest of the wood alone? There is no kind of bugs or anything on the surface. Just the worms inside.

I seen people say they still cook with the wood.

I appreciate and thank you for any help and advice.

I'd smoke that!
I wouldn't eat them, but I'd smoke em. LOL!
I still say go ahead and use the wood. The sizzel and pop would be short, and in a stick burner, burn up real fast anyway.
Much faster than the oak will.
And Oak is real hot.
I wouldn't want them making a home anywhere though.

 

[JohnEllet]

It is very important to remove termites as quickly as possible after you discover an infestation at your OAK wood.
Make sure that you should eliminate away infected wood as soon as possible or you can burn the wood to make sure that the termites do not spread away from it.
You should also do some termite inspection, which is a perfect option for you to take a proactive approach to termite treatment. Like, last month, I have also done a termite inspection by Long Island team, who have able to detected some termite nest at the backyard of my home and done termite prevention.

 

[kelbro]

That is a very high price for even good quality wood (which that is not). Are you in California by chance?

 

[motolife313]

That’s not a bad price if it were in great condition. I sell it by the wheel barrow full for 25$. That’s comes out to a lot more then 90$ per 1/4 cord. Anything less almost and it isn’t worth selling with the amount of work and time you got into it to dry it and do it all right