Make sure you dry your wood if you see bore holes that look like
somebody had a handful of darts and was banging on it. Powder Post
Beetles infest the wood and they are 1/4 the size of termites. The
larvae feeeding/growth cycle is up to 10 years and they don't come out
of the wood until they are mature... then they mate, bore back in and
lay eggs. Many very old houses I inspect here in MA have timbers made
on site with a portable sawmill. They used wet wood and now the
current owners are looking at jacking the sagging basement and
chemical treatments. Not an issue with pens, but I have come across
Powder Post Beetles in furniture made in High Point that wasn't
properly dryed before using. A dining room table was about 12 years
old and all of a sudden the lady noticed mounds of powder under it.

And yes, I am a licensed inspector.

Mike

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:53:54 GMT, Darrell
wrote:

I am using small ( 8 inch) diameter trees for a project and would like
to know a quick way to dry them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Darrell