Thanks for the scientific names and discussion, Mel. As I
explained none of my books mention SYP, which apparently is
an industry and mill designation. Unfortunately that is
fairly common, and common names often are useless to a non
regional person. In the west, yellow pine is Pinus
ponderosa, red fir is actually Douglas fir, white fir can be
several species and Tamarack is most often used for and
larch is most often called Tamarack.

Nope didn't know that about altitude and hardness. High
success in regeneration of burned or logged areas does
depend on using seeds produced at an altitude similar to
the area seeded. Lots of fudge factor there but altitude
differences of 3,000 or so feet are obvious.

mel wrote:
Pinus Ponderosa is technically a yellow pine and is often called Western
Yellow Pine hence his confusion but I suspect you probably already knew
this.

Southern Yellow pine is most commonly comprised of 4 different genus. Pinus
Palustris (Longleaf)and Pinus Enchinta (Shortleaf)
are the 2 genus that every keeps referring to as "old growth". Today, Pinus
Taeda (Loblolly) and Pinus Elliottii (Slash) are the most common for managed
forests due to the hardiness and growth rate. This is the explanation for
differing grain in today's yellow pine vs. yesteryear's. Granted
accelerated growth due to introduced nutrients and forestry management has
played some part but these 2 genus simply grow faster in the first place.

Did you know that most "softwoods" grown at lower altitudes will be harder
(denser) than at higher altitudes, yet most "hardwoods" will be the exact
opposite?

"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...

George Cawthon responds:


Leon wrote:

wrote in message
legroups.com...


I've be trying to flatten a short piece of yellow pine 2x12 CCA that
I've had around for a while and just found the use of. I didn't think
it would be too tough a job.

Not having a power planer I've been working on it with a #5, and a #4
(both recently tuned up and sharp) but the only thing that cuts it is
my low angle block plane. This stuff is like planing marble--the 45%
planes just slide over the top. The low angle cuts pretty well, but
leaves a choppy surface.

Anybody here know why yellow pine gets so frekkin' hard?
I'm gonna haf ta find another board.


Umm because yellow pine is hard compared to many woods and many woods
naturally get harder as dry out and age.



Where is this yellow pine from? Are you taking about Pinus
Ponderosa commonly known as yellow pine? If so, I don't
know what you mean by hard? I'm in the northwest and have
used lots of yellow pine. About the only thing softer is
cedar and redwood. Must be talking about some other species

SYP, AKA southern yellow pine, has zip to do with Ponderosa pine. Mostly

found

from Jersey's Pine Barrens on south to Georgia, it is a highly figured

wood,

the hardest U.S. pine, hardens with age, and is a royal PITA to work. SYP

that

is CCA treated doesn't dry out until it's been in place 103 years, or so

it

sometimes seems.

On the Janka hardness scale, long leaf SYP is 870. Cherry is 950.

Charlie Self
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's

some

kind of federal program." George W. Bush, St. Charles, Missouri, November

2,

2000