Kill Wood-boring Insects with Kitchen Appliances

When I first started harvesting green wood for my workshop, I was worried about bringing wood-boring insects into my workshop. It would be like letting loose 1,000 racoons into a Golden Corral restaurant. So I got some advice from fellow woodworkers. All of the advice involved pesticides. And some of it sounded reckless. (Put the wood in a garbage bag with an aerosol bug bomb. Be sure to tie up the bag really quick!) Years ago, I found this short article by Michael F. Potter, an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, and it was exactly what I wanted. Potter recommends eliminating insects from the wood using your fridge or your oven. I’ve been using his freezing method for several years, and it has worked brilliantly. In short: Put the wood in your freezer and set it for -4° F. Let the wood stay there for seven days. Remove it. Done. Potter recommends using a plastic bag to protect the wood, but he’s mostly concerned about finished household items.…