I tell the difference if there is any

[lcm1947]

I always just kind of took it at face value that you could tell the difference between white pine and regular yellow pine. I guess I never really actually compared the two side by side but when I just happened to have the two sitting side by side just now I noticed that there is no difference or so so little that I can't disguise the different between them - at all. I mean there is no way! What's up with that? Same color, same grain pattern or texture I guess you call it. Anyway, is it possible this is true or did HD mis-mark them calling them white pine? I'll be going down to HD this morning for something else anyway and plan on stopping by and checking this out. I thought it was odd that HD didn't carry regular yellow pine when I bought it but just figured they just sold this white pine instead. Hmmm. Interesting if true.

[Ken Massingale]

Mac, I don't know what the stuff HD calls White Pine is, but it is not the White Pine we have in the Carolinas. Last year Ken W. and I bought 600 bd. ft. of 'White Pine' that was cut in upper N.Y. state about 20 years ago. While it is nice wood, it isn't White Pine I am accustomed to getting locally. White Pine native to this area is whiter than YP, but still has an amber tint. The limbs on Wp grow in circles around the trunk at different levels, where YP limbs grow at random locations. The consistant locations of the limbs/knots in 'our' Wp allow the woodworker to use stock between the knots for all clear stock, or, as I prefer, to use the knots for accent in projects.
To summarize, I guess I have just confused the issue even more for you! :-D
ken

[lcm1947]

Thanks for the reply Ken and no you really didn't baffle me any more then I was. I am dying for the stores to open so I can go down and check it out. Since posting I went back out and looked at the two samples and there is no way they are different. They both are exactly the same yellow tint and grain. You know when I bought the stuff I remember thinking that it sure was yellow to be called white but then what do I know about wood. I guess the only other white pine I ever saw was 2x4's and you can tell the difference. Somebody goofed up or something. I'm going to take a sample of each with me to insure that I'm right. I'm thinking about sueing. Pain and suffering and all that stuff. If I end up owning HD all my good forum buddies will have a lifetime 50% off all purchases. Oh yeah and plus I'll be getting that Ridgid jointer I want finally.

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning ICM...

Ditto Ken in his analyzes or WP vs YP. Yellow is distinctly more yellow IMO and will have more sap than when not fully dried. Ya don't suppose that someone less than a wood expert at HD got it mis-tagged if that is remotely possible. ha.. ha...

Go over to where they have the 10'-12'-14'-16' feet pine stored horizonally on racks for builders and you should find yellow pine which is a staple in the building industry.. at least down south.

Regards...

[Black wallnut]

True white pine, pinus strobus is WHITE, both sapwood and heartwood with a pith of light tan IIRC. It is extremely soft and quite workable. In the examples that I've purchased and used it was very straight grained and even the knots were white. In the wild it can easily be distinguished from other pines by needles (in bunches of 5) and cones (long and slender). It is native to many areas. I've never seen southern yellow pine due to my living in the nothwest but from what i can gather through research is real colse to our western Ponderosa pinw pinus ponderosa. In the wild needles 9groups of three rather long0 and cones (didn't read that far) and could be any of four species naturally occuring in the southeastern US. As a lumber SYP is considerbly harder and stronger than white pine and has a yellowish hue. It can and normally does have rather wild grain, sometimes sriralling as it grows, limbs are gnarly. SYP is also sometimes called heart pine.

Bottom line IMHO is to not believe any specie identifcation from the BORG since methinks they use wood types in a rather generic way.

[Ken Massingale]

To add a couple of points. Pinus Strobus is specifically Eastern White Pine.

http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/pinusstrob.html

Fresh cut WP is more 'white' appearing than it is after aging for a few years. I've not seen white knots, but certainly haven't seen every piece of WP ever cut, either. Mark is correct in the description of the needles and cones, also the bark is quite smooth compared to SYP and other Pines.

Mark, respectfully, Heart Pine is not exactly SYP. It can be, but not necessarily. Heart Pine is the center, or heart, of Loblolly, Shortleaf, Longleaf, etc Pines. An old, large pine is necessary to get any usable heartwood. A 30" diameter pine may yield a heart of 12". The heartwood is much darker than the outer wood, from yellow to orange to red in color. Flooring manufacturers have assisted the believe that SYP is also Heartpine as a means to raise the price of common SYP.
Heart pine is hard, dang hard and resistant to rot and insects. It is also very rosiny (that a word?)
Our house was built in the early 1930's from heart pine from trees cut on the property. The 2 by's and 4 by's are true dimensions and there are 3 8 by 12 heart pine beams under the house. All of the original wood weeps pine rosin, we pray nothing ever starts a fire. But, we have less to worry about rot and insects, so I guess there is a trade-off.
ken

[lcm1947]

Well surprise, surprise the little gal at HD didn't know. Manager or anybody that would or should know wasn't there. I'll try back another time. Not that's it a big deal I was actually wanting YP anyway but all they had was this white pine in their " select woods ". Their, what I call "construction grade pine " looked a lot more yellow then this stuff but like I said the "select YP" that I bought at Lowe's and what's started this post and that looks like this white pine wasn't nearly as yellow as what I saw today at HP in the construction grade stuff either. Weird! Maybe if it looks like a duck ....... I am rather anxious to find out though.

[Black wallnut]

Ken, I may be mistaken about the knot color. I did not know that about "heart pine". That's one of the issues with common names.