On Sun, 3 Jun 2007 07:34:36 -0400, "C & S"
wrote:

I came across some interesting figure in about 2% of the siding wood for my
little barn (presumably from the same log). Although I am not really A pine
guy, I will set it aside for some "special" future use.

Sorry about the poor pictures; the rough surface doesn't help display the
figure either.

It looks like an army of ants crawling over the surface, but sometimes it
just presents itself as a curl in the grain. All of the samples happen to be
quartersawn. Actually it looks a lot like figure on the birch vase on the
front of LV's most recent small catalog.

If this were a meduliary ray, I would expect to see this figure much more
frequently than 5/250 boards. If it's the result of a pathogen, it clearly
infected the tree for dozen years of more. Climate? over a dozen years?
doubtful.

So, does this have a name and is there a known cause?

-Steve


What you've got there is birdseye pine. It does happen. If you are
around a lot of pine you will see it occasionally / rarely. I used to
work in a lumberyard and we'd see a piece or two once in a while mixed
in with the #3 common pine 1x12.

Bob the Tomato