Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Yellow Pine ?  (Read 8059 times)

Offline BBHJ

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 44
Yellow Pine ?
« on: July 08, 2007, 06:06:53 pm »
I havent been able to locate ponderossa pine for building my boxes. I can always find yellow pine & whitewood (which is white pine I guess). Anyway the white wood is alittle cheaper but doesnt look as good as the yellow. The white wood has alot of knot holes in it from big to small and from tight to loose. Also there are some on the end cuts as well as the side cuts of the boards. The Yellow pine has no knots at all but "seems softer" ? Would the yellow pine be a good wood to use? Has anyone here used it before & if so did it work out o.k. Should I use whitewood and try & cut the boards out & miss as many knots as I can?     

Offline bluegrass

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 459
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2007, 06:43:27 pm »
I don't know what whitewood is, but I don't think it is white pine. Southern yellow is alot harder than white and is often used as flooring and stair treads in houses. Most of my boxes are southern yellow... It is a great strong wood and can handle the abuse of working hives.
Sugarbush Bees

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2007, 10:53:08 pm »
I think they use what they call Eastern White pine for hive bodies.
Try to pick your boards that are not cut from the middle of the tree.
I don't mind the knot holes, some I use for upper entrance and the others get duck tape.
If it is not to big the bees will take care of it.
Reguardless of what kind of pine you use, at least 3 coats of good exterrior flat latex is in order.
If they are to last. Thats what works for me.
doak

Offline Zoot

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 466
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2007, 11:29:52 pm »
In this part of the country "whitewood" is some garbage species imported from China. It's a fast growth species and not worth a darn. If you find any species of white pine you'll know it - from the high price tag. Any of the harder pines like yellow are excellent for hive boxes. But personally, I swear by western red cedar. No paint, no finish of any kind. Possible benefits from the scent of the oil.

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2007, 08:01:33 am »
generally white wood is spruce, pine or fir. i would go with the cheapest lumber that can be found that doesn't have a lot of knots...and no loose knots. small tight knots are fine. the wood species is irrelevant since you are painting them anyway.

Offline asprince

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1743
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2007, 08:37:30 am »
I am a remodeling contractor. I use what ever materials are available from the job site before it goes in the landfill dumpster. Old kitchen cabinet shelves and doors have worked well in the past. When it is painted, it all looks the same. Look around and recycle when possible. Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline BBHJ

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 44
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2007, 10:39:08 am »
Thanks everyone. I was wanting to use cedar or cypress but I'ts alittle to pricey for me right now. Ive also bought three 1 gal. cans of Armor All - tinted waterproofing wood protector in Sierra Redwood that I have to use up    ;)  It makes my boxes look great (like cedar)  I'm certain that it will help the wood that I use to not hold water & rott or mildew, as well as not get damaged by the sun. The boxes should last a long time. I dont know if it will last as long as plain cedar or cypress though. As you all can tell I'm no wood expert. It covers 250 - 350 sq.ft./per gal. so it will be a LONG time before I run out of this stuff.   

Offline BBHJ

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 44
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2007, 10:58:06 pm »
I think they use what they call Eastern White pine for hive bodies.
Try to pick your boards that are not cut from the middle of the tree.
I don't mind the knot holes, some I use for upper entrance and the others get duck tape.
If it is not to big the bees will take care of it.
Reguardless of what kind of pine you use, at least 3 coats of good exterrior flat latex is in order.
If they are to last. Thats what works for me.
doak



Like I said I'm green when it comes to lumber. All I know to look for when choosing  boards is to look for straightness along the edges, as well as along the faces, & tight knots if there are any. How exactly do I tell which part of the tree any given board is cut from? Would I look for like a large darker colored areas on the boards face with the large darker areas being the "heart wood"? No matter if this is what to look for, whats bad about using boards cut from the center of a tree?

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2007, 12:37:43 am »
Google this
cuts of lumber.
doak

Offline newbee07

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 68
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2007, 01:31:20 am »
I use what they call honey tree lumber. It has a honey smell and is very sticky after you hive the bees in it :-P Just kidding, i use syp and it i guess is the only i could use and come out about een without ordering them already cut.

Offline bluegrass

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 459
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2007, 06:24:43 pm »
When it comes to buying lumber, all you need to know is how much you need. Stay away from the imported crap that HD and lowes sells, its too exspensive anyway. I go to my local building supply place that local contractors use......often you can even get the contractor price if you produce a business card. You can pretty much forget about picking through it to find the good stuff with tight knots, most places will not let you because it leaves them with a mess. lumber comes in grades of Premium, #1 and #2 select. Pretty much if you want tight knots or no knots you have to buy the expensive stuff, otherwise you get knots and cracks. I buy the cheapest stuff available which is currently 1x8x16 SYP at 9.44 each. 
Sugarbush Bees

Offline mgmoore7

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 364
    • Moore Honey Bees
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2007, 06:28:29 pm »
I went to a good lumber yard.  They have just about every size of everything.  I found Spruce 1x8x8' to be cheaper than the pine.  They are nice boards with only a few closed knots.  I was able to pick through them so that I could find the straightest ones.  I just put the ones I did not want back nicely. 

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2007, 10:22:02 pm »
i read somewhere that tulip poplar (which is not really poplar) is sometimes called white wood. i think its really in the magnolia family. they are the tallest eastern trees. i have a lot of them here. now if only I had one of those portable bandsaw mills.

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2007, 12:39:13 am »
Don't cut all your pop's, they are a heavy honey producer. Dark but mild.
doak

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Yellow Pine ?
« Reply #14 on: July 20, 2007, 07:30:24 am »
not this year....a late freeze took care of that. and when you've got hundreds of them cutting up a few wont make any difference.

 

anything