Blue pine

[rita541]

I have been looking at a lot of intarsia projects and many of them are made from blue pine, which is really great looking wood. My question is wgat is blue pine and where can I find it?
Rita

[gator]

According to wikipedia it is a specie native to the hymilaya region

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Pine

But I suspect that what you are talking about is this, pine in British Columbia that has been attacked by the blue pine beetle

http://www.bluepine.info/

George

[DaveO]

Blue Pine is fungal stained pine, and can occur in all species of Pine if the conditions are right. It is often found in the beetle killed Pine/Fir in the Northwest.
http://www.southernpine.com/blued.shtml
It can leave some spectacular markings -

And like Ambrosia Maple can be value added to those in the market for unique wood.

You might look for it as Denim Pine© as nice marketing twist. I did a bit of searching and can't seem to find a good source for the lumber. Maybe Jeff... can cut you some Pine, not stack or sticker it well, and hook you up with some value added Denim Pine©.

Dave

[jeff...]

Originally Posted by rita541

I have been looking at a lot of intarsia projects and many of them are made from blue pine, which is really great looking wood. My question is wgat is blue pine and where can I find it?
Rita

Rita - find your self someone who saws fresh off stump SYP. The bluing in pine is from fungus that grows in the heat of the summer. What you want to do is dead stack (no stickers) your pine boards. Get each layer wet rain water then tarp the stack, seal it off well in a semi shady area. Leave sealed and in a few weeks to a month then you'll have blue pine - maybe some other cool colors too . The trick is to dry it quickly one your satisfied with the bluing this will kill the fungus before the it rots the wood. I don't know if the fungus is toxic or if people are allergic to it or not - but I do know it will rot wood in a hurry.

BTW it's marketed as "denim pine" - it's actually counted as a appearance defect, but some people really like the way it looks so it's not a defect to them.

Thanks

[gator]

Funny occurrence: We went to the Red Lobster in Raleigh tonight for Mother's Day and the interior paneling appears to be 'blue pine' or something real close to the pictures I posted in the link above.

George

[rita541]

Thanks guys for the info.
DaveO....beautiful floor is it yours?
Jeff....I don't think I'll be rotting any wood any time soon...at least not on purpose.
Rita

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by rita541

Thanks guys for the info.
DaveO....beautiful floor is it yours?
Jeff....I don't think I'll be rotting any wood any time soon...at least not on purpose.
Rita

No, not at all. That is a stock picture that is often used to promote Denim Pine. That is probably as good looking as it gets.
Dave

[rita541]

Gator
Do you think Red Lobster would sell me so,e of their wall panels?
Rita

[gator]

Originally Posted by rita541

Gator
Do you think Red Lobster would sell me so,e of their wall panels?
Rita

Hey, they must do maintenance from time to time. They may have some scrap or new stuff set aside for repairs. It might not hurt to give them a call. What can they say besides No?

George

[NC Scroller]

Rita, if you are still looking for your blue pine I found this site while surfing.

http://www.thehandsomewoodman.com/

The blue pine they show is something else. If you decide to order I would consider getting some.

[scsmith42]

Rita, what size piece are you looking for?

Scott

[rita541]

I would like some 4/4 about 10 to 12inches wide canuse about 10 ft long.
Jeff is going to get me some and I will go pick it up when it is ready. Ican't work in my shop right now beause Dick has a 7 drawer bureau in there for me to finish and I can barely move around in there.

[scsmith42]

Great!

Jeff, in addition to dead stacking the boards after milling, you can also cut logs when it's hot and humid out (such as this week), and let them sit for a few months. You'll get the blue staining, but w/o the mold and mildew that accompanies the dead stacking.

I have some logs sitting around that would be suitable to mill for BSP, should you wish...

Scott

[Hook]

I'd also be interested in some blue pine if there is any available

[Ivey]

The best way to get blue pine is right out of the log, as Scott has said, just let the log lay in the heat of hot weather for a few months, lumber will have blue streaks and more depending on how long the log or tree has been sawn down. Sawed up some pretty blue pine last week end. It was going on a horse barn. I would not want molded boards, thats what you will get if you dead stack pine this time of year.