Antique Heart of Pine

[Doug]

So I'm a beginner woodworker. I'm going the route of handtools (I've obtained Bailey 4, 5, 6, and 8 Planes from the Ebay and chisels and saws from Japan WW). I'm building a workbench of the Good, Fast, Cheap variety

which I began last night.

I've recently obtained (for free) a few hundred + square feet of ~7/8" thick heart of pine lumber that was milled and used as tongue and groove flooring in one of the local schmancy houses (I'm in St. Louis). The boards vary from 8" to 14" wide, most are under 4' but there are 6' and 8' boards and a dozen or less are over 10'. They all have been milled on the 'underside' with what appears to be 1/16" steps (like this: __--__--__ ). The topsides are untouched.

So my question is what would this stuff be good for other than flooring (if anything)? I was thinking I could layout a smallish sub-floor in my newly annexed shop (read: my old garage) so I could putter around my workbench on wood, but I was hoping to make some cabinetry out of it, like a changing table for a baby, a kitchen table, perhaps a tall-thin cupboard like Norm just built (I can't remember the name he used for it).

Thanks for any help and ideas you all might have!

Doug.

[Steve]

You can use it for anything you like. You might want to mill down the grooves on the bottom and rip off the tongues and grooves. Planing all that by hand is going to be a chore though. Perhaps we could trade some machine time for some of the wood?

Steve in Webster Groves

[Kennor]

You could use the tongue and groove for glueing up wider boards if it is machined well. It will work as a spline. Remove some of the tongue for wood movement and extra glue. You may want to invest in a portable planer to surface the boards.

[Preston Andreas]

Old growth heart pine is used in flooring, furniture and moldings. For furniture, rip off the tongue and groove and either plane off the back side grooves, which gives a thin board, or put that side to where it isn't seen.

[Doug]

I'm not opposed to trading, but I'd like to firm up some of my ideas first, so I know what I'd need, etc, etc.

Are you a local furniture maker or just a hobbiest? (Is that spelled right? doesn't look like it...) The only local 'cabinetmaker' type guy I've seen is Difenbacher, over in Kirkwood. But he ignored my emails.

[Doug]

The wood came from Chicago. My mom, an interior designer and builder, bought it for flooring for a new house. It looks like old barnwood. One side is surfaced, the other completely rough and weathered. I haven't had a good look at the growth rings.

I believe it's been completely de-nailed (one side is surfaced). When they installed it, they sanded the floor /very roughly/, it's not polished or smooth. They filled the various holes with the sand-dust and glue. There were lot's of nail holes. They finished the floor with semi-gloss varnish and then satin varnish, no stain. The floor comes off a very dark red/orange/brown type color. I'm not an expert so I can't explain it well. But it looks great, IMO.

Either way, they're finishing the basement so rather than sell it we hauled it up to my house in St. Charles. Now I just have to finish my bench and figure out what to do with it...

Doug

[Jim Mc Namara]

Doug - it is of absolutely no value whatsoever. Send it to me and allow me to dispose of it properly (like into a beautiful piece of country furniture!) LOL! Great haul - build whatever your heart desires - but from experience a great looking piece using that wood could be a country table of some sort. Be sure to show off the figure of that stuff!

Enviously,

Jums