Wood: Enemy of Metal?

[682bear]

They have been using wood stocks on firearms since firearms were invented...

With the exception of a certain manufacturer using salt to cure the wood... I don't know of any common problems unless other factors are introduced (such as storing in damp conditions).

-Bear

 

[Robo_Pi]

The article is primarily directed at the use of wood for shipping and warehousing containers, but I think it has some application to the shop as well.

This little tid bit of information is most likely paramount.

It could be the green uncured wood is being used to make shipping containers etc. I would imagine that green uncured wood may very well contain juices that aren't going to be metal friendly. But after wood has been properly dried and cured these concerns most likely no longer apply.

 

[pstemari]

The argument above was that drying the wood producers acetic acid (ie vinegar), which doesn't disapate immediately.

Dunno. Never had any issues with my Gerstners, but I also keep VCI emitters (Zerust or Bullfrog) in each drawer of both the Gerstners and the Kennedy chests.

I think the steel bottomed drawers are just to increase useful volume. The steel takes effectively no vertical space, while a wood bottom would require at least a 1/4" for the thickness of the bottom and enough meat on the sides to hold it. With all the 1/2” deep drawers, that would be a lot of wasted volume.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[cathead]

Strong acids in the shop even in closed containers cause a lot of rust on machine tools too. Due to pressure and temperature
changes, gasses slowly escape and rust up the area around the container. Car batteries(sulfuric acid) are guilty of this also.
A gallon container of muriatic acid(20% hydrochloric acid) is responsible for causing a lot of rust if left anywhere near iron. It's best
to keep acids out of the shop if at all possible. Green oak wood or oak sawdust on cast iron or steel causes rust quickly because it has
both the acid and moisture present to form oxidation quickly right where you don't want it.

 

[MarkM]

I tend to differ. Living on the East Coast by the ocean I try to use wood as much as I can in my shop. I have found the wood draws the moisture out and have had no issues with rust. Mostly pine with some oak but all dry before used.

 

[stupoty]

I have gauge blocks that are in tight fitting wooden boxes, they seem to be ok , but i do tend to use food safe mineral oil on the standards to protect them.

I have found wood dust and chips to be bad for a little corrosion.

My biggest corrosion foux pas, was using some anti slip matting, it has a pattern somewhat like an air tex fabric. I put it at the bottom of my roll cab draws and everything I layed on it picked up the patern of the "rubber" mating in a light rust. I'm guessing it has some sort of acid that is in it.

Stuart

 

[hman]

I've noticed that a lot of Chinese rubber has a pretty strong smell- MUCH more so than American rubber used to.

Wild-a$$ theory - incomplete vulcanization (which uses sulfur). This would leave uncombined (smelly) sulfur compounds in the rubber. These plus moisture might well produce sulfuric acid.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

When I first got this chip brush, the day I got it I left it on the mill table overnight. It left a stain on the table in the shape of the handle. Came out with scotchbrite but lesson learned.

That's the only time I've ever experienced it but most everything else I have that comes in contact the wood is stained/cleared.

The Bridgeport I bought came with two hardboard (/masonite) table covers that were shaped to fit around the vise, so naturally I put them on the table right away. Probably just fine in a climate-controlled shop, but after sitting for a couple of months during a very wet summer while I completed the shop and got the wiring sorted, there was rust all over the table surface. Easy to clean up, as with yours, but I never but the covers back on. Might make some new ones with corrugated plastic on the base, cut to a new shape (I keep the vise on one side, an angle table on the other).

That said, I keep a chuck board on the lathe ways (by the tailstock when not in use) and it hasn't caused any problems. So it was likely just the ludicrous humidity last year.

Man, I wish my wish my Nupla fit in that part of the table. Pretty handy place for it.

 

[diamond]

I don't know how much wood may have contributed to this but perhaps a similar experience that taught me a lesson. I built an enclosed shop room inside my 40x50 metal building last fall and it houses my shiny new PM lathe and a bit less shiny and much less new Bridgeport mill. I built it out of wood, all stuff you get from the Depot. It's a lot of wood, including the sheathing on the walls (chipboard). Where it contacts the concrete floor it's treated, otherwise all pine/fir stuff. We've been having a particularly wet late winter/spring here in Northern California. The humidity has been very high. The shop isn't climate controlled (except when I'm using it).

I recently went on a trip to Europe for a coupe weeks during this wet weather and that's when I learned a lesson.

I did not coat the shiny bits on my machines. That was a mistake. I came home to find a nice orange/brown color on much of those highly polished surfaces. My chuck, carriage and even on the ways had a film of rust. The chuck was particularly bad. I was horrified! I should have snapped some pictures but all I could think about was cleaning that off. Some WD40 and a bit of elbow grease and it is all ok. Thankfully on the ways it was just a slight surface discoloration. Much longer and I bet there would have been some pitting starting. I'm sure the humidity is/was the major culprit.

I now know I need to coat it if I'm going to be away any length of time. I don't use my machine daily so I do it pretty often. I really like LPS-2. I spray all the shiny bits and it leaves a pretty heavy coat that doesn't seem to disappear easily. Just a few quick sprays is all it takes. Easy to wipe off when I'm ready to resume using the machine. I spray my mill table, Kurt and other surfaces with it too. There's probably other (and maybe cheaper) options but I like this stuff.

 

[Reddinr]

I once left a small piece of freshly planed oak on my planer table. Came back after being away for 2 weeks and there was a board shaped area of dark rust on the surface right under the board. Last time I did that... You can smell the acetic acid or maybe the tannin when you plane the stuff. On the other hand, when I was younger I made a bench top out of laminated chunks of pallet hard wood. There was quite a bit of oak and some mystery hardwood. I dried and planed the pieces and gorrilla glued them all together to make a >200 Lb. 2.5" thick table top. It took a while. Like I said, I was young. I varnished it with a few coats. Long story short, no rusting problems with tools left on the table top still today. So moisture content and coatings seem to make a big difference.