[xsailer]

I spied what looks like a big chunk of White Pine at a sale. Can anyone out there suggest a method of definitly ID'ing White Pine?

[Just Carving]

Bob,

Go to this link. Click on the clear pine and the knotty pine images. They'll be descriptions and then you can click on the images and you'll get a larger pic of the grain.

The final tell tale is to smell the end of the board--especially after scratching or cutting the wood a bit. You can't miss the smell of pine.

http://www.trustile.com/options/materials.asp?cid=374

Here's a link where you can search on "pine".

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/Landown...eets/index.htm

Click on the species, and then click on the image of the grain. If you study them and look for the different qualities in the image, i.e. color of the wood, streaks, lengths of the streaks, the swirl of the grain, the straightness, knots, etc. Maybe Mark Yundt or one of other the carvers can tell you more, but it's probably a matter of see the boards side by side and knowing by from memory after looking at them for a while. I usually remember eastern white pine by the sharp difference in the color--from pale tan to hues of red and peach. And then there are the knots, the smell--you can't miss pine, and the stickiness of the wood.

[xsailer]

Well, I went to see the piece I earlier mentioned. It measures 2"x16 1/2"x8' and it's mine. Neighbor said it was up to 50 years old. He had it on a shelf and it's straight and smooth on both sides. I figure if it's uncarvable I can make a table out of it. What would you pay for it?

[xsailer]

Since this peice is probably very dry do you think putting it a plastic bag with a seperate tray of water for a period of time would help with carving if it too dry?

[Just Carving]

Probably better off spraying with a water/alcohol mix while carving.

[xsailer]

Oh my! I hope it doesn't come to that.

[Kenny_S]

The mixture does help in carving,but when I need to use it which isn't often,I just use the alcohol, Right out of the bottle. Hic-cup!!!

[AlArchie]

X, I don't think you should worry about wetting down white pine before caving. I've done some work in OOOOLD white pine (over a hundred years since being cut) and it isn't much different from properly dried new stuff.

Our club has also done a lot of carving large pieces for our local historical society and the highway dept. None of that has required soaking, spritzing, bagging or spraying of any of it.

Al

[xsailer]

AlArchie, very good news. I haven't tried carving it yet. I'm just getting ready for when I do.

Kenny, you did know you're suppose to spray the alcohol? On the wood!

[VAwoodcarver]

Well when i see a piece of pine i can usually tell by the pretty straight dark (compared to the wood) grain lines. And once i have identified it as pine i go in and take a whiff. It has a very fragrant and sweet scent. It has a stronger smell than the rest of pine ive came across like yellow pine.