Heart Pine Bench

[Jak3]

Just recently finished this foot bench in reclaimed pine salvaged from a barn on our property. The wood all came from huge 12 1/2" wide 30 foot long beams. I believe it is Longleaf (?) Heart Pine.
Mortise and tenon construction, dovetailed cross supports, arm-r-seal finish, hide glue.
A lot of work in this piece, took way more effort than I anticipated in breaking down/milling reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood is very challenging in my opinion, lots of little quirks in it but so very worth it and exquisitely beautiful.

Thanks for checking it out.

 

[zdorsch]

Looks good!

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Very nice. Your skills are coming along nicely.

 

[Phil S]

Excellent - great job

 

[Mountain City Bill]

Yes, very nice!

 

[mdbuntyn]

Nice work

 

[golfdad]

Great looking bench Jacob

 

[Graywolf]

Really beautiful piece. the effort is evident in the result, and you should be proud.

 

[joec]

I love heart pine. The smells are incredible while working with it.

 

[NOTW]

Very nice, i really enjoy heart pine

 

[Jak3]

Thank you all for your kind words... great community here.

 

[schmidtsp3]

That's some beautiful pine.

 

[sawman101]

Very well crafted Jacob! It looks like a Shaker-inspired design, beauty in the simplicity but strongly made and will last several lifetimes.

 

[Jak3]

Very well crafted Jacob! It looks like a Shaker-inspired design, beauty in the simplicity but strongly made and will last several lifetimes.

Thank you, yes my small table designs and this bench design are shaker inspired. My novice skill level permits these straight lines. One day though, I aspire to make period furniture.

 

[robliles]

Jacob,
The simplicity of the design matches the wood perfectly. Anything more elaborate would just not fit. That is a very impressive bench and I can only envy and dream of the wonderful odor the wood gave your shop while you were working it.

 

[Jak3]

Jacob,
The simplicity of the design matches the wood perfectly. Anything more elaborate would just not fit. That is a very impressive bench and I can only envy and dream of the wonderful odor the wood gave your shop while you were working it.

The timber I re-sawed from large barn beams. I was surprised to find the wood was very dry, never warped after being separated, however in some parts a lot of pine resin was still present. It amazed me that resin was still in this wood and readily seeps out in the sun. My grandfather said he remembered the barn being there when he was younger so it was quite old. The scent it gave off I can’t describe. Smells much better than white pine. It’s very pleasant.

 

[Jeff]

I believe it is Longleaf (?) Heart Pine.

You are correct and that's why there's still a lot of pine resin still present even after all of the years. The Long Leaf pine was used extensively as the source for turpentine and pine pitch used in the naval industry in the 18th & 19th century. Take a look.....

Antique Heart Pine Lumber - Appalachian Woods, LLC

Reclaimed heart pine lumber, available in different grades to get the look you desire. From elegant to rustic. Can be sawn to different thicknesses.

www.appalachianwoods.com

The pitch is usually set by heating the lumber to 150-180 degrees so the pitch becomes brittle and hard so it doesn't seep and remain sticky. That would not have been done with barn beams years ago.

Dining table made from Antique Heart Pine (Longleaf pine).

 

[Jak3]

Thanks for that little tid bit of info. That’s so awesome. This species of wood is fascinating and so rich with history in our state. I hope everything is being done to preserve this tree so that it continues to thrive in its habitat and is not over harvested as it once was.

 

[Jeff]

There are a few long leaf pine forests remaining in NC that are largely protected and managed by the North Carolina Forest Service. One of the larger forests is at Fort Bragg, NC.

Longleaf History

History of Longleaf Pine Forests

www.nclongleaf.org