Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) for Flooring???

[DR Buck]

I have a repeat customer that shows up with the most questionable logs for milling.   Tonight he called and wants to bring over a bunch of Virginia Pine and have me mill them "to recover the heart pine"  so he can make flooring from it.   He wants 2x4's and 1x's cut from the non-heart pine.    These logs are only 10"- 13" diameter.   

He's pretty hard-headed (and I think a little slow on the uptake  : ) and hasn't been able to understand that (1) "heart pine" comes from old growth trees that he doesn't have,  (2) I'm not going to be able to get any "heart pine" from these small logs,  (3)  I can't quarter saw small diameter logs and have much usable lumber left, and, (4)  they are not large enough to recover 2x4s from the "sap wood" and still have enough "heart pine" left to make him flooring boards.

I hope to talk him into just 1 x  boards, but I'm not sure they would even be suitable for flooring.    So, the question is can Virginia Pine be used for flooring?   If it can be used, what  thickness would you recommend I mill it to?

Did I mention the last logs he brought over for milling, came in his wife's minivan.      ;D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Yes, I think so. I sawed over 900 bf of VP for a customer who was using it for wanes coating in a game room. He had it kiln dried and T&G. After planing it was really nice. I know this is not flooring but it went up on his wall and looked Gorgeous.
I sawed it 3/16" over what he wanted and used a 7° blade because of the knots.

[WDH]

It is not as strong as the main four Southern Yellow Pines, and is not allowed in dimension lumber that will be graded and sold as 2x material for construction.  However, I believe that it would work as flooring. 

[sealark37]

What Forrest said.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Due to the contrast within a growth ring between the softer early wood and the dense late wood, it is difficult to obtain a premium surface on flatsawn VP.  Also, in a heavy use floor, we do need QUARTERSAWN grain.  Even then, the wood is fairly soft compared to SYP or "heartpine."

Actually, heartpine refers specifically to the heartwood of longleaf southern pine, so the pieces of flooring with heartwood from VP would not be called heartpine in standard use of the word.

The heartwood zone of smaller VP trees will be quite small and mostly juvenile wood with lots of compression wood.  Warp in drying will be quite common.  Will your customer pay you for warped pieces or will you have the suffer the loss?

What will you do with all the lumber that is not good enough for flooring...does not have enough heartwood?  As mentioned, it cannot be graded as a southern pine, but must be in a category that is much weaker.  Plus when you dry sapwood material from such small logs, warp is likely.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Talking about a mini van hauling logs...reminds me of the time a guy pulled up to the mill in his station wagon (if you are old enough to remember what that is) and wanted eight green RR ties loaded into the back. 8)

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

What will you do with all the lumber that is not good enough for flooring...does not have enough heartwood?  As mentioned, it cannot be graded as a southern pine, but must be in a category that is much weaker.

Its not what will Dr. Buck will do, the customers is bringing the VP.....whatever is sawed, the customers gets...good or bad and is charged by the BF. 

[hunz]

OK, now that last line about the minivan really gave me a good horse laugh. I know nothing of VP, so the best of luck to you on that. Sounds like you have your hands full with creating a castle out of your box of legos!