Red Pine

[highlandsaw]

I have a friend who is clearing a future horse pasture of red pine trees. He says they are 10 -25" in diameter. He has offered to give them to me - including loading them in my trailer so he doesn't have to burn them. The trip home is about 5 miles.

I have never cut or used red pine. Anyone have experience with red pine? Is it worth picking up?

[Ox]

Good framing lumber.  Good for the knotty pine look for wall boards.  Good for most anything the other pines are used for.  It's a little weaker than yellow pine.

I would be excited and ecstatic about that deal and would get all I could.

It's very pitchy and you'll need to use good lube.  I use diesel in a felt sandwich system.  Name is pinus resinosa, which to me means resin pine.  I'm not that smart, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

You're a lucky guy.  Free logs that are cut and loaded for free as well.  5 miles away?  Heck - for me, my life, my area it don't get much better than that!

Edit:  You might better just point your hauling rig ESE for around 3 hours and I'll clear out a spot on the landing for ya... ;)

[derhntr]

Cutting these for battens for a project

[dustyhat]

wondering if theirs another name for red pine ? dont believe anyone around here calls it that, burr pine ,yellow pine, field pine, white pine are the common names here can someone explain .just wondering.

[Clark]

It is also called and recognized as Norway pine in MN but the problem is that red pine doesn't grow in Kentucky. It's natural range is quite small and centered on the great lakes. There is a good reason why it doesn't sound familiar to you!

Clark

[69bronco]

Jump on it! As said above, great for framing also makes beautiful flooring. If you can let them sit till the bark slips it usually does wonders for the pitch also.

[ehp]

Cut tons of it , red pine is pretty nice stuff , up here red pine is the only tree they use for telephone poles and if good enough for poles its worth good money,  lots of people call scotch pine the same thing but its not  , Scotch pine sucks to cut by hand , not as straight of tree and always full of sand , the knots are super hard

[dustyhat]

Thanks, cleared that up nice

[Ianab]

Commercially, it's commonly sold under the generic SPF (Spruce / Pine / Fir) classification. So you probably wont see it sold as "Red Pine", but if you grab some random SPF construction wood, you might be getting Pinus resinosa.

If you have the need for some pine, then grab some for sure.

[Chuck White]

Takes a good size Red Pine for strength  when used for rafters or floor joists!

The problem is the limbs are in whorls, that is the limbs circle the log evenly, all the way around, creating a weak spot!

When you get into the bigger Red Pines, they make very good framing lumber and 1" boards for sheathing!

I'm into cutting some at this time, around 4,500 bf of RP and another 1,500 bf of WP!

[Kingcha]

95+% of what I cut is red pine.   Easy to cut and make great 1x's .     I have cut it into 2x4's. 2x6's and plenty of 1x's.    I have also cut a few beams.   My solar kiln is made of mostly Red pines including 2 upper beams.   All I use is Magic Mans popular lube mix.    I am presently building a Caboose style little house on a travel trailer frame and much of the lumber is Red pine.

 

I'd say get them all. 
Matt B

[Peter Drouin]

I have a customer bringing over some 26', Wants me to make 8"x8" beams out of them.
I don't buy the stuff. I seen is use for blocking.

[warina drive]

Usually very symmetrical and cuts well,I have used it for everything...have a fair amount of weight on the stack if it is going to sit for a while it can twist . Pete

[highlandsaw]

Thanks for all your comments. Sounds like it is well worth taking everything I can get. I especially like the idea of letting the bark slip off. He will be cutting it when he has time. And I will be picking it up when we both have time. And I doubt that I will get around to milling it until fall when things slow down on the farm.

My only concern is the pitch. I have a Woodland mill and only use soapy/water for lube.

Any specific suggestions for blades to use.

[ladylake]

Usually very symmetrical and cuts well,I have used it for everything...have a fair amount of weight on the stack if it is going to sit for a while it can twist . Pete

Smaller red pine logs will twist bad even at the bottom of the pile, best to use it before it does.   Steve

[acrosteve]

As mentioned, it can be very pitchy.  Something you will have to keep in mind as it is terrible without the proper lube.  Or at least this particular tree that I had was.

[Chuck White]

Thanks for all your comments. Sounds like it is well worth taking everything I can get. I especially like the idea of letting the bark slip off. He will be cutting it when he has time. And I will be picking it up when we both have time. And I doubt that I will get around to milling it until fall when things slow down on the farm.

My only concern is the pitch. I have a Woodland mill and only use soapy/water for lube.

Any specific suggestions for blades to use. 

If you're talking about sawing them after the bark falls off, be aware that you will have a build-up of pitch on the blade.  Might be a good option to use a diesel drip or wick for your lube system!

I just got done with a sawjob for 5,000 bf of mostly R/Pine and some W/Pine my soap/water/pinesol mix just couldn't keep up with the pitch in the R/Pine, these trees were cut 2 years ago and left laying on the ground in tree-length! 

I used WM 10° Double Hard blades, set between .025-.030 they cut just fine, but the pitch was awful!

[GAB]

Question - White pine turns blue in the summer heat does red pine do the same?
Gerald

[derhntr]

I saw my red pine as soon as I can after felling.  Took 10 days from felling to sawing log pile was crawling with some type of pine beetle before I was finished >:( Pitch was no problem. Loose bark plugging discharge was though. 

[barbender]

Question - White pine turns blue in the summer heat does red pine do the same?
Gerald

Yes, red pine will turn blue, though usually not as quickly as white pine.

[highlandsaw]

So what is the blue color? Is it cosmetic or cause a problem with the board in terms of strength?

[Ianab]

The blue stain is the first stage of fungus starting to attack the log. It's working it's way in, and breaking down the easiest to digest sugars etc first. Most of the cellulose that makes up the structure of the log is intact, so the strength is mostly still there, and the fungus stops once the wood is dry. As long as it stays dry, the decay wont proceed.

If the log is left green and damp. the fungus & bugs really get going on it, and pretty soon the wood is compost. But if you saw and dry it before they really get started, it's really just a cosmetic stain.

[Don P]

sapstain fungi, or bluestain. It is consuming the sugars within the cell cavity where the rotting fungi are consuming the wood itself, the cellulose. Since there is only sugar in the sapwood you'll only see that get blue, the heartwood stays bright. It is the first fungi to move in and it is telling you conditions are right to grow fungi, saw and dry it faster or fell and saw in the winter. It doesn't weaken the wood unless it is really severe. The fungi's hyphae do punch through the cell walls from cell to cell looking for sugar so it does make the wood more porous, and more easily wettable.