Freebee Pines

[EZ]

At one time I couldnt wait to get a pine log to saw. Now it seems like everybody wants to give me their pine. This guy down the road from me has 9 white pine, biggest is 30 inch dia. They all have big knots from 2 ft from bottom all the way up. What would these be good for, 2x8,10,12, or paneling. Or am I waisting my time.
EZ

[Tom]

EZ,
I try to stay away from overly-knotty wood for weight bearing lumber.  It works for appearance lumber like paneling, or for sheeting, or for table tops etc.   Those big logs are an opportunity to cut wide  specialty stuff that nobody else has got.  Stack table top slabs along the wall and tell everybody to "eat their heart out". :D

[Minnesota_boy]

Make sure you heat them table slabs up to set the pitch before you make them into the table.  It's hard to keep the dishes clean when they are stuck to the table.  

[chet]

I usually cut big knotty White Pine into wide 4/4. Then use it for sheeting in place of plywood. Sometimes them big burly brutes will surprise you with some pretty decent lumber .
The really big knots in White Pine are really not conducive to paneling. When machining they have a bad tendency to break out.

[Captain]

80 percent of what I cut is Eastern White Pine, mostly because it is not good firewoood and people want rid of it.

It is my favorite wood to work with, I built our entire barn from it.  I use the stuff with the big knots for sheathing.  My biggest problem is getting it all cut before the borers get to it.  I have about 1000BF of what Arkansawyer calls "buckshot pine"  Most of it is 1X3s and 1X4s as it came from the edges of the log.  I may make some framed mirrors or rustic picture frames or something out of it.

Anyhow, back to the subject.  Bar/Table tops go well.  I cut one out ov every log over 30".  I also have sold enough siding recently to make me think there is a market for it, my problem is storage and drying the tapered siding without degrade.  My latest effort to move some pine product is to build small outbuildings with it....garden sheds, potting sheds, outhouses....I can't retail the lumber very well, but the outbuildings go pretty quick.

I would like to get into a larger planer and a production shaper to start making wainscoting and flooring, but I need an addition on the barn first.....well there's another use for some pine....

Captain

[Kevin_H.]

It seems like most of the pines around here, the branches grow in rings around the tree. I dont know what kind of pine it is, maybe they all grow like that?

When we can get our hands on pine it is sold to the crafters before it is even sawn, If they wish they can get clear 18 to 24" short boards between the knots. our problem is when the loggers find pine around here they tend to leave it in the woods as none of the big mills want to mess with it.