Extremely knotty pine

kelLOGg · December 18, 2021, 08:02:02 AM

My next 2 logs on the rollway are from a recently felled healthy pine. I don't need firewood so I plan to saw them. They are 13" and 18" diameters and I will saw them with rustic paneling in mind - 3/4" to 1" thick. What do you think of that useage? other ideas?

Don P · December 18, 2021, 08:31:20 AM

I've got some white pine tops on the deck first for today that looks similar, or worse :D. The last thing I did yesterday was remove one to the "other" pile. We need some roof sheathing so I'll saw 1x6 and if its too ugly for that, lumber pallet stock for the better lower logs to stack on.

HemlockKing · December 18, 2021, 08:34:57 AM

Knotty pine makes for good way to get a burn pile cooking hot I'm finding recently lol . Better yet a crotch/fork that's also knotty

Old Greenhorn · December 18, 2021, 08:36:50 AM

Around my place I use what pine I get for internal projects like saw horses, jigs, shelves, drying pallets, or shop flooring. It's nice to have a pile of various dimensional stuff to grab when you have to make something quick. I sell a little, but with a manual mill, production lumber is not where it's at. :D I got some really bug eaten logs with zero value, but I milled those into shiplap flooring for the shop loft to go over a hardwood biased floor that was still shrinking and leaking dust to the floor below. Junk wood, but it looks pretty good and does the job and the price was right. It's also soft, so if I drop something...
AT my part time sawyers job we do almost all EWP and make fencing boards, flooring boards, board and batten, posts, and timbers. SOme for sale and some for the shop expansion going on now. Nothing for stock.
So are you selling these or using them? If you're making knotty pine paneling I would leave some meat on there for planeing after they dry. If you are gong to T&G it, try to mill so that yu don't have many knots along the edges because they can blow out when you are doing those last operations. Anyway, JMO. Good lock, just beat the bug to the wood and borate everything as it comes off the mill.

Southside · December 18, 2021, 08:40:03 AM

Make those into dunnage for under lumber piles. Those knots will make your boards split, crook, and be of little value.

ladylake · December 18, 2021, 08:47:16 AM

Nothing wrong with knotty pine on the walls and ceiling. Steve

KenMac · December 18, 2021, 08:48:07 AM

I saw a lot of SYP and logs like those are the hardest to saw flat without dips, etc. If 12" or bigger I saw 1x10 for board and batten or other siding. Some battens (1x3) will break at knots so I try to get fewer knots in them but most of those come from edging flitches. I'm in a different situation from those who are making their living sawing. so that skews my view of logs occasionally.

Stephen1 · December 18, 2021, 08:53:22 AM

I tend to make 3x3 blocking for my bundles of lumber. They are always disapearing, like stickers...

Magicman · December 18, 2021, 09:00:46 AM

Just don't saw framing lumber from those logs.

kelLOGg · December 18, 2021, 09:27:30 AM

Thanks for the ideas. If they dry flat enough I will try to sell them. If not - anything goes. I surely would like to know that they go on someone's wall or ceiling.

ladylake · December 18, 2021, 09:30:26 AM

I'm looking at a knotty pine wall right now. Steve

kelLOGg · December 18, 2021, 06:26:59 PM

Steve. Show me a picture. 🤞

sealark37 · December 18, 2021, 09:34:42 PM

Leaving one live edge, knots and all, makes a fine rustic horizontal siding.

btulloh · December 18, 2021, 09:43:29 PM

Sorta depends on the size and soundness of the knots. Sawing it will tell you whether you have paneling, dunnage, or firewood/kindling. Probably some of each. All useful. Might as well saw it and see.

The darker the knot, the more likely it is to fall out when it's dry.

Durf700 · December 22, 2021, 09:21:12 AM

I just got 2 loads of pine and spruce delivered for next to nothing. I am milling up about 300 2x4's and about 400 1x8's for my basement interior finish. should come out nicely. I milled about 30% last week and stacked and stickered it in the heated basement. figured the coal stove will help take down the moisture content for when I start it next month.

Jeff · December 22, 2021, 10:10:21 AM

Quote from: kelLOGg on December 18, 2021, 06:26:59 PM
Steve. Show me a picture.

;)

WDH · December 22, 2021, 11:10:17 AM

You do not need to borate pine. The lyctid powderpost beetle only infests hardwoods.

Old Greenhorn · December 22, 2021, 12:41:18 PM

What about the pine bark beetles? They kill my stuff quick if I don't treat it.

barbender · December 22, 2021, 12:46:51 PM

Just be aware, those big knots in pine species tend to bleed sap. Quite generously at times😬 It does make poor quality lumber for any structural use, but for paneling and such it will work nicely. Even then, some boards will end up with a knot across the face, and will fall right in half when you pick them up. Another utility use is form boards. I have concrete guys that buy a lot of 1x12 form boards, the knots don't hurt anything on those wide boards. Oh yeah, they don't like to saw straight, either😁

kelLOGg · December 22, 2021, 01:19:06 PM

It's all sawn 3/4" and 1" thick, and some live edge stacked and stickered. Lots of knots and sawn very smooth - very pleased with that. Sorry I didn't take pics of individual board but being a one person operation I frequently forget to interrupt myself to take pics until it's all done.

Dave Shepard · December 22, 2021, 01:28:54 PM

Quote from: WDH on December 22, 2021, 11:10:17 AM
You do not need to borate pine. The lyctid powderpost beetle only infests hardwoods.

They must have a cousin that does. A lot of "powderpost" type damage in my two Dutch barn restorations that are mostly white pine.

Magicman · December 22, 2021, 03:28:11 PM

Quote from: Dave Shepard on December 22, 2021, 01:28:54 PMhey must have a cousin that does.

And damage in my old tool shed that was built probably in the 30's-40's at my farm with SYP. Riddled with holes. :-\

Ianab · December 22, 2021, 05:27:09 PM

Quote from: Dave Shepard on December 22, 2021, 01:28:54 PM

They must have a cousin that does. A lot of "powderpost" type damage in my two Dutch barn restorations that are mostly white pine.

Anobium species of borer will attack the sapwood of pine and many other softwoods. They may not be an issue in a drier climate as they need the wood to be over ~12% M/C. but locally wood generally is. Hence you have to use at least borate treated pine for construction here, or something like Doug Fir that they don't like.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_furniture_beetle
As you say, a "cousin" of the PPB.

Dave Shepard · December 22, 2021, 10:05:42 PM

Quote from: Southside on December 18, 2021, 08:40:03 AM
Make those into dunnage for under lumber piles. Those knots will make your boards split, crook, and be of little value.

That's what I do with low grade pine logs. I cut 10x10s for the base, and 3x4 to put across. Cut a bunch this morning for my neighbor that I just sawed about 1,500 feet of siding for.

Don P · December 22, 2021, 10:59:55 PM

Old house borers and death watch beetles are a couple that get into old softwood, I'm sure there's more. If there's food, there's a mouth. Death watch beetles, named for the maddening tic-tic-tic of them chewing, and counting down the seconds of your life. So I guess, borate it for your mental health.