Turning Pine

[Burt Alcantara]

My neighbor felled a very large pine. No one knows the exact species. On the top of each crotch is a large hardened ball of sap. The sawyer gave me some nice fat logs from the branches. Alas, nothing from the bole.

There is so much sap that picking up the logs from any place gets my hands completely covered in sap. My concern is this may cause problems with the lathe and certainly the tools.

I've sealed up the ends and exposed wood. Is this wood turnable? Should I let it sit for a while so the sap slows down?

The tree stood about 70 feet high. Nothing wrong with it. The neighbor is a tree killer. There were 8 trees on the property. Now, there are none. At least I now have a glimpse of the distant mountains.

Thanks,
Burt

[Benjamin Dahl]

Burt, I had a similar opportunity with some southern pine but was told by someone with a lot of experience that the sap would be messy for a long time. If it is dried I think it would be fine but would also be interested in what others have to say.
Ben

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Burt, I have turned pine but was fortunate enough to have the beetles drain the sap before the tree came down. It sounds like your neighbor cut this tree when it was healthy and from a sap and pitch standpoint that could be a big mess. Storing the wood will most likely not reduce the amount of pitch it contains but the moisture content can still decrease I have a couple logs of pine that are pretty dry moisture wise, except for the pitch which is still a mess. I think Andy recently turned some really old stuff that had been used for building purposes and it was still messy. I could be mistaken because now I can't find the post. Anyway, I'd sure think twice before putting something with that much pitch on the iron.:)

[Al Wasser]

My experience, with southwest pines, is that you may find a little bit of everything. Pines are typically not ALL pitchy but some sections are. You are more likely to find heavy pitch or resin accumulations near the knots. I have not tried to turn the stuff other than from 2x4's for practice. I suspect you will get practice but little else from your pine stash. The pitch balls were likely caused by some insect that bored into the wood and the tree tried to heal the wound.

[George Tokarev]

I've turned white (P strobus), red (P resinosa), spruce, balsam fir and the biggest resin-holder of all, tamarack (L laricina). You want to keep some solvent handy to keep your tools clean, or you can burn the resin in. Turns with the traditional softwood caution to keep the touch light, because you can fracture the harder wood into the softer when crossing at a shallow angle. The resin will outgas a bunch of its own solvent as the piece cures, firming up to what we commonly call rosin, which is also really sticky when you give it some heat.

Big problems getting finishes to stick over bleeding resins. Commercial folks heat to above 180 and hold for an hour or so to "set" the resin as part of the kiln process. Else the stuff blisters almost any finish. Haven't found any solution for the pitch pockets you find in tamarack. Only thing that's looked good for long has been thinned oil finishes. Sort of like the NIP types who dilute and wash away resin with oil.

Is it worth turning? Sure, but realize that you may reveal some really gummy areas as you get to the shape you want. It's an exercise in tool control, that's for sure, and where you escape the knots and old injuries the resin is exuded to protect, it can look real nice. Get it before things warm up enough to cause bluestain if you want white, because no amount of bleach seems capable of taking out the blue. Or leave it and make it a feature.

When you mention branches, you're suggesting reaction wood, which can be a bear to predict, but looks sharp when you succeed. Certainly not my wood of choice, but the price seems right.