Hello Pam in cinti. Thanks for your reply. I'm sorry for the confusion about my nationality. I am indeed an American. The "cultural difference" to which I referred was simply the 'culture' that develops with an internet forum over a period of time.
In the US, furniture grade lumber isn't and never has been "treated" with anything. The treating to which you referred that was banned a while back was treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) - a double whammy of arsenic AND copper. As a general rule, lumber providers don't want to spend any more than they have to - including the costs of "treatments" - so we are all a bit better for 'crass commercialism' in this case.
Thank you for your response too, Johnd. I suspect that the"oakiness" imparted would be a function of how much of the surface area was "fresh" -either newly cut or newly drilled. One would
probably get a more uniform product from a commercial vendor as their processing would be uniform over time whereas mine, for example, would depend on what I had on hand and how long it had been sitting in my scrap bin AND how much surface area had been exposed by cutting and drilling.
I will assume until I hear otherwise that there is nothing 'special' that the Stix makers "add" to the wood. I know that to be true of barrel makers. Charring is all they do. I may have to experiment to see what 'works'.
Thanks again for your responses.
Paul
