65 BD. Ft of yellow pine, need ideas

[Tim Plantz]

Just bought approx 65 board feet of southern yellow pine CHEAP and looking for project ideas to utilize it. Some boards are 16" wide, some 12" wide. Also, haven't worked with it much and would like ideas on how and what to finish it with.
Thanks in advance!!

[Jerome Hanby]

Just to be first to say it...How about a workbench

Just bought approx 65 board feet of southern yellow pine CHEAP and looking for project ideas to utilize it. Some boards are 16" wide, some 12" wide. Also, haven't worked with it much and would like ideas on how and what to finish it with.
Thanks in advance!!

[dan sherman]

Just to be first to say it...How about a workbench

I second that, 45 BF would yield a bench top 6 feet long 30 inches wide and 3 inches thick.

[Robert Parrish]

It makes a great shop floor!

[James Carmichael]

Just to be first to say it...How about a workbench

Only if it's clear & dry. The cheap SYP I've worked with did, in the words of Chubby Checkers, "a little thing called the twist". In fact, those cutoffs went on the curb today. One was a 1/2"-thick piece I resawed from a 4' 2x10. Painted pink, it would have looked almost like the Susan G. Komen symbol.

[Randy Walker]

Sounds like the begining of a great blanket chest or a very nice hope chest for a youngster.

[Neal Clayton]

1) check the moisture, considering this is summer. if it's wet it will shrink, alot.

2) once it is dry, it'll be thirsty, very thirsty. shellac and other such surface film building finishes are the way to go. it's not easy to stain even when properly sealed.

3) it's prone to split and tear, depending on grain orientation. watch the rings and where a router/shaper bit will hit especially. lower RPMs and more torque are better.

4) coat your blades and bits with some wax or boeshield or other such things, the sap pockets in the wood can make a mess of saw blades.

5) it's different to sand too. the heartwood is abnormally hard, the sapwood abnormally soft. sanding more makes it worse. hit it with a low grit (80-120) then 220-300 and leave it alone. the heat from sanding can magnify this problem.