Thread: One for the timber guys;-

Can it be dented with a thumbnail? or any noticeable scent when sanding?

So far it sounds like it could be Huon Pine, 'cept I wouldn't expect that to be used for a tabletop...

Roger - these sorts of questions are almost impossible to answer with any degree of accuracy. Even with the sample in your hands, it's often impossible to identify softwoods to genus. It does help a lot if you know if it's a native wood, or an import. Some of our "pines", like Hoop & Bunya have very fine structure, with no noticeable growth rings. Most imported softwoods have more or less prominent growth rings, but not all.

Hardness & scent are big helps, too, as Skew said. Hoop, which is a very widely used wood for furniture, has a very characteristic odour when cut or sanded. However, you have to know the smell to recognise it - very hard to describe a scent in words!

Cheers,

In the States we have a common commercial timber (we call it "lumber" here) called Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). It is among the heaviest and strongest of the pines, and is mainly used structurally. Most of our Pressure Treated lumber here is SYP.

Yep,- I know what you mean. I do know its definately not, "Sugar Pine," which has a very distintive sweet sugary smell to it when sanded, cut, or planed, therefore it could be, Huon, or, maybe, Hoop Pine, which comes to the interesting question, back in the early 20th century / late 19th century how many Australian kitchen tables, and other pieces of furniture, etc., were made from this type of pine, as have had an old workbench come in which upon a bit of handsanding, is also made from this type of very fine grained, and easily dented Pine. The old workbench is an interesting shade of weathered gray on the square legs, with an oily, bumpy, dented top, and with holes cut in the side rails for an old type Vise,- probably an old wooden vise. The top which is about 35mm.thick is nailed down with huge old handmade," Blacksmith," nails, which, makes it over 100 or more years old. Was going to wreck it,- but the more I look at it, am thinking of restoring it- mainly out of curiousity to see what it would come up like.
Roger

What about Oregon pine/ Douglas fir? Are there lots of growth rings?

Originally Posted by rogerjenkins

...... back in the early 20th century / late 19th century how many Australian kitchen tables, and other pieces of furniture, etc., were made from this type of pine..........

A LOT! Hoop pine was probably the most commonly-used wood for run of the mill furniture in the first half of the 20th C up our way. You trip over old Hoop everywhere, in Qld. It was also used for VJs for internal walls & architraving. I was helping a friend cut a door through an old VJ wall the other day - as soon as the saw hit the wall, the unmistakable smell of Hoop pine spilled out...

So I expect it got sent down your way in quantity, too. I suppose you could easily have a bit of old Huon kicking about, but the little Huon I've handled is quite a bit harder than Hoop, & I would describe it as cream-coloured & quite different from the yellowish hue of Hoop. Of course, colours change over time and can sometimes be be quite misleading, so it's not absolute.


Bookend - Douglas fir/Oregon has very distinct earlywood/latewood rings, & isn't yellow. Unless very old & weathered, it does have it's own distinct smell, which is quite different from Hoop.

Cheers,

Any chance of a photo of it?

IanW,- You could be right there as the basic description fits. Also as you remarked to Bookend,- there's a difference between Oregon and Hoop Pine,- actually when one has worked with both timbers over the years, one discovers there's a huge difference between Oregon and any Pine, both in general colour and in smell,- although some people cannot tell the difference, as got some s/h oregon here, and a visitor the other day, called the Oregon, " Pine,' to me,- actually insisted it was, " Pink Pine !! " ( I'm not saying what I thought, and I am definately NOT repeating what I said to the guy either,- you can guess that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )
I get some real good, " Know-alls," here at times,- think they, " Know everything. " as in, " Think !!! "

Photo, or two,- Can take some of the ancient workbench, for two reasons,- ( A ) have placed the other piece of pine, " whatsit," on top of the top rack, therefore can't be bothered getting it down again, and, ( B ) Have desided to gradually restore the old workbench which, ( I think ), will make an excellent WIP photographic record from start to finish for the most appropriate section on this site, then someone somewhere might be able to figure out exactly what type of Pine it is.
Does this sound like a good idea to you ?
Roger

Well, Roger, there are two questions that always seem to stir a debate - one is "What's the best method to sharpen....?", and the other is "what wood is this?". While I'll sometimes make suggestions, I would never go to court on any. The trouble is, so many woods look the same, superficialy, which is why the same common names get applied to totally unrelated species. Even with very good pictures, it is often impossible to do other than take a good guess, based at least as much on where it comes from as colour and grain. Distinctive features like odour are great when you are on the spot, but we haven't figured out a way to post smells to the Forum, yet!

"Pink Pine" is a new one to me, too! You could also inform your knowlegable friend that 'Oregon Pine' not only isn't a Pine at all, it's not even a true Fir, so both common names are misleading. It's a bit of an orphan in the conifer group, in fact.

By all means do a WIP - forumites thrive on them. I sometimes wonder if it's like the cooking shows on TV - everyone is so busy watching a couple of people cooking that they haven't time to cook for themselves. But I know woodies aren't really like that... ..
Cheers,

IanW,- Probably explians why cooking articles in magazines are always best sellers too. Woodworking magazines, and anything, " woodie style," on the idiot box always seems to attract a regular following too,- as to whether anything actually gets built, or even completed according to the instructions, ( " destructions to some !! " ), in the magazines, or not remains to be seen.
** Know of an carpenter / builder down Yorketown way years ago who has his own library of woodworking publications, plus purchased almost every toy plan from me, in years gone by, which were ," supposed to become," toys for his kids,- but never happened, for his family grew up, and now he talks about digging out all the plans he bought from me to make Toys for the grandkids,- only problem his YOUNGEST grandchild is Twelve years old, and the rate he's going,- the wooden toys will be, for the " Great-Grand kids, " or if he lives long enough, maybe the generation after that,- or,............. !!

Roger