Anyone have experience with heart pine?

[Dell Littlefield]

I am planning to build a work bench and have access to some reclaimed heart pine beams. I have never worked with heart pine. From looking at the Janka scale, it appears to me heart pine is hard enough for the bench top. However I have several questions. Am I likely to have resin build up on my tools sufficient to cause problems? I want to make the top about 3X24 inches wide and 6 ft long. Assuming the beams are 8X8, what dimensions should I resaw the beams to avoid glue up problems? Can I anticipate glue problems using Titebond on heart pine? Any recommendations appreciated.

[Joe Cowan]

I have used it on a small project and did not have any issues with titebond or resin. You will love the smell!

[Frank Drew]

Dell,

Heart pine can be resinous but not universally so; you can probably avoid issues by careful wood selection, orienting the non-sticky surfaces uppermost, if possible. Gluing should not be a problem. The easiest resawing strategy for your proposed benchtop (3"x24") would be to cut roughly 3" thick slices from the 8x8s and glue three of them up edge to edge; I'm not sure there'd be any real advantage to a more laminated construction.

[Mel Fulks]

I've used a lot of it ,some for Williamsburg and other big projects .Dont see any point to reducing the widths for glue up just because benches are often made from scrap.Titebond is fine if you can work fast enoug, if not ,I would use a plastic resin glue ,water mixed or 2 part. If you find it easier to get good joints on narrower pieces ,that's ok too.

[Bill White]

We use it every day for making tables from the reclaimed wood (old mills, etc.) Tough, strong, beautiful, pitch can build on saw blades, etc. The finished product will be a real treasure. Just don't be bashful about showing pics of the project. We use Titebond III for glue ups with no probs.

[Tom Scott]

As others have said, it should make for a beautiful and tough bench. My only other recommendation is to get some good tweezers for the splinters.

[Mike Wilkins]

Beautiful wood to work with. Watch for splinters; Titebond no problem; be prepared to spend time cleaning pitch off the saw blades and router bits; pre-drill for screws; it will really add a nice pleasant smell to the shop when you are working with it. It should make for a really nice looking bench. Don't forget to share your results.

[Frank Drew]

My shop, a former RR depot, was framed with old pine (as we call it around here); COULD NOT drive a common nail into it, had to use cut nails. Hard stuff when old, and can be as beautiful as any timber I've seen.

[Dell Littlefield]

Thanks everyone for your help. Due to the seller's circumstances, I had to change my choice of wood. I selected white oak. It also is reclaimed and will be a lot of work milling but I am looking forward to the challenge.