[Captain_Bandaid]

I bought a 1'x8'x10' piece of what is referred to as Clear White Pine (CWP) for a scrollsaw project. Â*I didn't use all of it and recently decided to see how it carved. Â*It is almost as smooth as basswood. Â*The yellow growth rings are only slightly harder than the white wood in between the rings. Â*It does tend to splinter a bit more than basswood but basically, it carves very well. Â*Does anyone know if CWP is actually just sugarpine?

Not the same stuff ... sugar pine is darker and has a tighter grain. Cuts better (cleaner) across grain than white pine does, but (at least the stuff I have) tends to break with the grain more easilly. Sugar pine also has that piney (is that a word?) odor to it. I think the sugar pine is a more attractive wood and a better wood to carve with tools while white pine is a real pleasure to carve (whittle) with a knife. IMHO.

[AlArchie]

Ed is right.......sugar pine is a western species, growing in Washington, Oregon and parts of California. It is one of the largest western pines.

White Pine is it's eastern cousin and I believ is the largest of the eastern pines. Clear white pine is just that, knot free white pine and is highly valued as both construction and furniture lumber. It carves well, for pine, but cuts tend to run with the grain.

Al