So I've started repurposing my old workbench lumber (2x4 doug fir) to make a sharpening bench since I've really gone down the hand tool rabbit hole. The wood is about two years old and though I never let it dry out any before use, I'd imagine after two years in my garage it is as dry as it is going to get in humid Texas.
In a previous post I mentioned needing to make some longer boards out of shorter ones - I ended up just picking up another 2x4 (doug fir) to help expedite the build and my gosh...what a difference between planing the new stuff and my old workbench lumber. I know my blades could probably use a honing about now but they are still pretty sharp. When I am working with the old lumber it planes very easily and I can get a face and an edge ready pretty quick. The new stuff, however, is a pain in the butt! Is it just because it is still wet/hasn't had time to really dry out yet? What other factors could be in play?
If it really just has mostly to do with the old lumber having dried out for a few years then I'd say I'm at the point where I might be mostly done with hardware store lumber - at least without planning in advance, buying what I need, and letting it dry out for a few months.1