Instead of buying Climbing Bark -- new motive..

[maniac]

I was thinking of instead of buying an expensive peace of wood i could go out and cut off some wood to my desire, clean it with 5% bleach and put it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes.. Would this do the trick in killing any bacteria or parasites?..

[gozetec02]

You bet just make sure its not Pine or Cedar. Mesquite works great and oak too basicly any hard wood will work. Just make sure you let it dry out completely but the oven will make sure of that and also you can clear off the bark if you want and sand it smooth. Becareful because ticks love hiding in the bark of oak trees but 200 degrees should take care of them. Sounds like a great idea.

[steelsack]

Yep, that'll do it for the crawlies, but make sure you bake it at 200 or 225 core temp. It'll take a little while to get the wood heated to the center (depending of the thickness, of course). I baked my piece for forty five......preheated the oven, put in the wood, and set the timer.
You might want to consider a small can of sealer for after baking. A laquer or varnish.....something clear or maybe light stain if you prefer. This will make the wood look nice and shiny and darker than if you left it dry, but the main reason is I had a nice piece that I threw out because it would try to mold on me. Heat and humidity are wonderful for mold.
IMO, it is much more enjoyable to stumble across an awesome piece of bp furniture out in nature than buy one at some store. 8) Happy hunting!