Name |
Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) |
Type |
Softwood. |
Other Names |
Also known as western yellow pine, California white pine, Oregon pine, bird’s eye pine, knotty pine, prickly pine, blackjack pine, and pitch pine. |
Sources |
Grows mainly in western United States and southern British Columbia. Most widely distributed of pines in North America. |
Appearance |
Straight grained, sometimes with a bird’s eye pattern, and with a medium coarse texture. Typically has prominent dark resin duct lines and numerous small but sound knots. Light reddish brown heartwood and wide, nearly white to pale yellow sapwood. |
Physical Props |
Light and soft with low strength and shock resistance, moderately low stiffness, low decay resistance, poor steam bending, and good stability in service. |
Working Props |
Works fairly well with machine or hand tools although resin can gum-up cutters. Planes, turns, moulds, routs, bores, and mortises very well. Glues, nails and screws easily with a low tendency to split. Paints and finishes fairly well although a sealer coat may be needed to handle resin bleed-out, especially near knots. |
Uses |
Has many uses including boxes, crates, millwork, building construction, turnery (balusters, porch columns, dowels), caskets, furniture, patterns, trunks, toys, poles, posts, paneling, and plywood. |