# Could it be Yellow Pine (Pinus Palustris) ?



## SharpWoodchisel (Jun 30, 2013)

I've visited a ruin abandoned for 30 years of a very large set of building where all the roof tiles where dawn except most of the wooden structures. This building was built in *1868* and for my surprise the wood of this large posts and beams is in excelent condition, besides being exposed to nature elements. Took one beam to the workshop, cleaned the dust and its a hard, heavy and smelly pine.

- When cleaning found no traces of paints, tar's our wood preservatives.
- It as a extremelly strong smell to resin, almost "dizzy"
- It's very heavy
- After cleaning the raw, scraping and light sanding, aplyed mineral oil and it gets very dark tinted, for the photos i had to scrape it again and aply just a small portion to enhace the grain to avoid hiding the resin.
- After scraping it as a very shiny looks and soft touch.

I was wondering how come this pine lasted so long without rotten or bug attack. Googled and read about some *Yellow Pine* (_Pinus palustris_).

We have lots on pine here in Portugal mostly _Pinus Pinaster_ and _Pinus Pinea_, but they don't last so long when exposed to sun and rain, they are not so eavy and have less potent odor.

This wood has, at least, 145 years.
*
Do any of you have a clue/experience of if this could really be Yellow Pine?*

If it is it was problably importet from the US in those days. Counting the amount of roofs that building has there are literally tons of it there falling down but still in good conditions.

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## NYWoodturner (Jun 30, 2013)

Not sure about the yellow pine, but it sure looks like Scotch Pine. That would also account for the smell. Does it smell like scotch?


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## ripjack13 (Jun 30, 2013)

My guess would be either Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) or Stone pine (Pinus pinea) ...both are found all over Portugal.


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## sbwertz (Jun 30, 2013)

Could be Southern Yellow Pine. SYP tends to be very yellow. Here is a link to a pen turned from SYP. And it is a very heavy wood.

I couldn't figure out how to post the picture in a reply

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oUK-v_W3f4o/TdpwHNoah9I/AAAAAAAADis/BWi-roP8wPg/s576/IMG_2663.JPG?gl=US


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## Kevin (Jun 30, 2013)

It looks like old growth SYP to me, though I couldn't say the species I'd guess Longleaf of course. It was exported all over the world in the logging hay days of the 19th century.


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## SharpWoodchisel (Jun 30, 2013)

NYWoodturner said:


> Not sure about the yellow pine, but it sure looks like Scotch Pine. That would also account for the smell. Does it smell like scotch?




I don't know the smell of scotch, never tried not even smell it!

Besides very strong the smell of this resin is similar to the smell of the "comon" pine when is new but with a subtle different scent, it's dificult do explain, seems some sort of "fermented" smell, maybe alcoolic type smell, or even resembles some sort of industrial quimical smell.

Maybe it's just a comon pine like Pinus Pinaster and due to it's long age some chemical changes happened and changed the caracteristics of it.

I'll ask a friend to let me smell his scotch bottle, and let you know latter!


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## SharpWoodchisel (Jun 30, 2013)

Kevin said:


> It looks like old growth SYP to me, though I couldn't say the species I'd guess Longleaf of course. It was exported all over the world in the logging hay days of the 19th century.



Yes, i've read about it and that would explain the long resistance to outside elements. Also read that it's rare to find this kind of pine wood today, and that it could be very valuable financially.


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## SharpWoodchisel (Jun 30, 2013)

ripjack13 said:


> My guess would be either Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) or Stone pine (Pinus pinea) ...both are found all over Portugal.



Yes Pinus Pinaster and Pinus Pinea we have a lot, but they are not so heavy, smelly and have lots of knots all over. This one's have just a few or even none along the beam.


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## barry richardson (Jul 1, 2013)

I'm no expert, but that looks just like a piece of yellow heart pine a member here sent me. It was from a very old building as well. It is heavy and very resinous with a very strong smell. I think this is the tree that they tap for turpentine, so that might explain its slightly chemical smell...... It reminds me of bathroom cleaner.


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## robert flynt (Jul 3, 2013)

Sure looks like long leaf slash pine ( yellow pine ) to me. That stuff is so dense, with resin, it's hard to drive a nail through it. All the old growth stuff is gone as well as the Ivory bill wood pecker and other species that depended on it for habitat. Timber people plant fast growing pine trees now days.


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