5/4 Red Oak & White Oak boards 6 inches wide...Inside?

[rasman57]

 Milled Oak has been outside (Northern Illinois) air drying for over a year in a covered open carport, stacked and stickered.  This is project wood for a barn and hunting cabin floor and will not be T&G.  In other words it will be real rustic and I am not concerned about some movement and gaps as long as the bird dog does not fall through or I trip and spill my coffee.   I would like to tight stack it now inside and start foolin around with it as time permits.  I have plenty of weight to put on it if need be.   Any issues I should watch for.  What say the experienced?  It is gonna get Tim-Bor sprayed first.   Still learning so I appreciate the help.

 

[Magicman]

No advice on stacking, but I did put a similar Oak non-T&G floor down several years ago.  I added a slight chamfer to the boards which made a small V groove between the flooring boards.  I was just removing any possibility of any sharp edges on the flooring surface.  It worked very nicely.

[mesquite buckeye]

You could also shiplap it pretty easily and maybe cut down on the bugs just walking in for a sit down and a smile. ;D

[LeeB]

I would think you might want to let it dry for a little while after you spray it before you tight stack.

[rasman57]

Good advice on sprayin my bug beater.  MM what did you use to create the slight chamfer?  I like the idea.

[scsmith42]

Due to the milling patterns there will probably be a slight difference in thickness between your dried boards.  You might want to plane one side to 1-1/8" or so in order to produce floor boards that are consistent in thickness and smooth on one side and rough sawn on the other.

After planing apply the Timbor (so that it's residue remains in as much of the finished boards as possible.  You might want to mix it with RV anti-freeze instead of water as that will help it to penetrate further into the lumber.  If you use RV antifreeze allow the boards to dry for a a few weeks and then dry stack.  If you use water you can dry stack after a week or so.

A hand held router with a chamfer bit will make quick work of the edges.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Why are you spraying the lumber? A light coating of Timbor will not stop termites.  The powder post beetle is the only other insect in dry wood and it is rare.   It would seem that spraying is unneeded. 

For dry wood, Timbor is not used as it only coats the surface and will not move inside the wood.  But the risk of insects is so small in any case, you can skip that treatment.  If you still want to use Timbor, soaking in Timbor is the way to get penetration, but then you will have to redry the wood as Timbor is a water based product when applied.

Note that you will get no penetration in white oak; that is why white oak is used for barrels to hold liquids for many years without leaking.

I am curious what RV antifreeze would do that water will not do?  I use RV antifreeze in my RV's water system in the winter to prevent freezing of the drinking water system and it works for that.

[scsmith42]

I am curious what RV antifreeze would do that water will not do?  I use RV antifreeze in my RV's water system in the winter to prevent freezing of the drinking water system and it works for that.

Gene, supposedly the slower evaporation rate of RV antifreeze versus water allows the Timbor solution more time to soak more deeply into the pores of dry lumber.  I've been told (but have not confirmed), that the primary difference between the wood treatments for log homes is that the treatment for dry logs use an RV antifreeze base along with the boric acid, whereas the treatments for green logs use water.

[rasman57]

Some of the local ants had rumba line marched over from the firewood which is quite a distance.   They departed doin the Hokey-Pokey.  Figured it would not hurt to create a little off limits area while I was spraying the base of my deck and shed. 

The Powder Post Beetle being rare is good news though I have the reverse lottery kind of luck with rare stuff happening.  I have heard the antifreeze thing as well but hate the stuff as I always worry my dog will get some.  I did notice the White Oak repel water like nobodys business too.     Learning as I go.....thanks.

[scsmith42]

RV antifreeze is non toxic.

[Den Socling]

RV antifreeze is pink/red and is used in water lines. Like Scott said, it is nontoxic.

[WDH]

The Powder Post Beetle being rare is good news

Not rare down here. 

[Magicman]

MM what did you use to create the slight chamfer?

I used a hand power planer, but a router/chamfer bit would probably be more exact. 

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

RV ANITFREEZE IS TOXIC.

I have an RV and use RV antifreeze for the waterlines in the wintertime to prevent freezing damage.  That is the material that we are talking about and not the antifreeze for the motor.  Here is what the Prestone RV Waterline Anitfreeze label says (in part):

This product may be harmful if swallowed.  If swallowed, call Poison Control Center or hospital emergency department.

Keep out of reach of children and pets.

In the springtime, it is necessary to rinse the system until all the pink color is gone.

Contains Propylene glycol, water, rust and corrosion inhibitors.

Having said all that, it is true that an adult would need to ingest a large quantity of this material over a short period of time to cause problems.  It does not take much for a child however.  So, we can use it in an RV as a freezing point depressor safely, especially if we flush the system well in the springtime.  Propylene glycol is used in many foods.  It is a key component of the e-cigarettes.

Rather than use this RV antifreeze to encourage the boric material to migrate into the wood (if indeed this mixture does that, and I am not sure it really does--it will migrate into the wood but will not carry borates with it.), why not just treat the wood with Timbor in water (as normal) and then cover the pile with plastic so that the water cannot evaporate?  The water will slowly migrate into the wood, although several applications of Timbor a few days apart would be useful to keep the borate concentration high enough to be effective and to supply more water.  (A one-shot application with water or antifreeze will not provide much borate, so even if the water or the propylene glycol moves deep ingot he wood, there will not be enough borate to provide good protection.)  When done, then the wood will have to be dried again, as with any wet wood.

[Den Socling]

i will have to read the label the next time I buy RV antifreeze. I always assumed it was non-toxic since it was going in potable water lines. Are you sure, Gene?

[LeeB]

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/56/56c92110-bc8b-48e3-91ee-54df5e792462.pdf
http://www.chemicalspec.com/Winter_Care_4060_RV_Antifreeze.pdf
https://www.lakeland.edu/PDFs/MSDS/357/RV%20Plus%20Antifreeze%20(Zecol).pdf

Looks like most brands are pretty much harmless althogh some may have differeent compositions. Check the MSDS. Google is your friend.

[Magicman]

I suppose that it being "toxic" is inferring that it would be harmful to people which seems like a moot point to me.  Since we have all agreed that it would soak in, licking would not count.  I wonder just much treated wood a person have to eat for it to be harmful? 

[LeeB]

Big pieces or little pieces? and then comes the question of in or out?

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I do not think we have to worry about the health issues when the product is in wood except for a baby crib or baby toy that would be chewed.  The issue is the the stuff in the bottle.

[scsmith42]

Gene, generally I am loathe to rewet dried wood, but since I have a kiln I have other options.  Usually I recommend that folks build some type of sterilization chamber out of foam board similar to what was in the FWW magazine a few years back.

Since rewetting lumber usually causes surface checking, is there a process that you would recommend that folks w/o a kiln can follow to sterilize lumber?

Like Danny said, here in the south PPB is a major problem in air dried lumber.

Thx.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Get a small trailer that is totally enclosed.  Insulate it with rigid foam. Add some heat, avoiding fire risks.  The wood needs to get to 130 F, so the air must be around 20 F hotter.  Have a small fan to stir the air.

If you build a more substantial chamber, you should consider commercial sterilization of wood.  The license to certify sterilization is not expensive.  Contact the NHLA for details.

[kelLOGg]

As far as toxicity of anti-freeze is concerned make sure it is propylene glycol if you want it non-toxic. It is actually a foodstuff and expensive. Avoid ethylene glycol, the common antifreeze; it is poison.
Bob