Justin Sizemore
01-28-2008, 3:05 PM
I was hoping to get some advice on preparing antique heart pine for a project I'm planning.
I have two massive southern pine columns (about 18-24" in diameter and 8' long) that were salvaged from a building my grandfather once owned. A former tobacco factory, it was built around 1845 and torn down in 1980. I assume the columns were made by simply felling trees and stripping off the bark and outer sapwood. The pillars have been sitting in a dry basement since being removed from the structure. They appear to be in fine condition (no moisture damage, etc.).
My questions are, first, how hard would it be to find a boutique sawmill operation that would be willing to mill this wood? (I'm located in eastern Virginia in case anyone knows of a good outfit within a couple hundred miles.) Second, I assume wood that's been protected from the elements for 160 years will be sufficiently dry for furniture use, but I may be wrong. (Obviously, I'll give the rough lumber some time to acclimate and release any internal stresses before jointing and planing it to final dimensions.)
A long-time reader of this forum, I've never posted a question before and any thoughts or words of wisdom would be much appreciated.
I have two massive southern pine columns (about 18-24" in diameter and 8' long) that were salvaged from a building my grandfather once owned. A former tobacco factory, it was built around 1845 and torn down in 1980. I assume the columns were made by simply felling trees and stripping off the bark and outer sapwood. The pillars have been sitting in a dry basement since being removed from the structure. They appear to be in fine condition (no moisture damage, etc.).
My questions are, first, how hard would it be to find a boutique sawmill operation that would be willing to mill this wood? (I'm located in eastern Virginia in case anyone knows of a good outfit within a couple hundred miles.) Second, I assume wood that's been protected from the elements for 160 years will be sufficiently dry for furniture use, but I may be wrong. (Obviously, I'll give the rough lumber some time to acclimate and release any internal stresses before jointing and planing it to final dimensions.)
A long-time reader of this forum, I've never posted a question before and any thoughts or words of wisdom would be much appreciated.