How should I glue very old, very sappy heart pine?

[Harlan Barnhart]

I have some old heart pine salvaged from a building at least 100 years old. It is fine grained, hard and full of sap that gums up planes and chisels. There is so enough sap that the shavings feel damp. I building a chest of drawers with it, so how should I glue this stuff? Has anyone done this? Is regular wood glue sufficient? Should I wipe the joint surfaces with a solvent first? This seems like a waste of time since the wood is saturated to the point of being translucent.

[Mel Fulks]

The extreme translucent 'fat' wood is usually cut out. The high content of the drier resinous wood I've glued with yellow glue or plastic resin glue. We don't use any cleaning solvent on pine,just on oily wood.

[Frank Drew]

Harlan,

I like Old Pine a lot, and it's long been very popular in this area, but I agree with Mel's implication that the most resinous pieces might be problematic, for both joinery and finishing.

[Bob Glenn]

I would try hot hide glue. Also, try to give the glued surfaces a little tooth.

[george wilson]

The millwork shop in the museum just about exclusively now used reclaimed heart pine. Some of it is really fat wood. They just use yellow woodworker III for most work.

Many years ago,about 1963,I got hold of some from an old warehouse being torn down. The Principal asked me to make him a coffee table from it. I just glued it with white glue at that time. No problem was had. That wood was so fat,I just waxed it and needed no other finish.

[Caleb James]

Would this stuff make a good workbench wood?

[Mel Fulks]

The fat wood burns quickly ,so for that reason I would try to get rid of most of it . I'm sure many a bench has been made from old pine.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Thanks for the replies. The joinery is frame and panel with mortise and tenon so I might add some pins for added security.

Mr. Wilson, I think it will polish quite nicely with very little finish, maybe just wax.

[Jack Curtis]

Thanks for the replies. The joinery is frame and panel with mortise and tenon so I might add some pins for added security. ...

That's what I was going to suggest. Forget about the glue altogether.

[Joe Cowan]

I did a small project several years ago using reclaimed heart pine from old cabinets. It was very tight grained and smelled like it was fresh from the sawmill. I just used titebond and have had zero issues with it.

[Frank Drew]

Would this stuff make a good workbench wood?

Well, hardness shouldn't be an issue -- some Old Pine I've used was almost impossible to drive a nail into. I wouldn't use the most resinous pieces for the work surface or front edge, though, to avoid the stickiness and mess.

[glenn bradley]

The glue is as strong as what it is sticking to. If you have a viable surface, regular PVA should do. If you have a poor surface, anything will work poorly.

[Mark Roderick]

Totally off topic, but don't get that stuff near fire. I use it as kindling and large pieces light right up with a small match.

[Bill White]

At work, we build from heart pine. Some from old cotton gins even have lots of cottonseed oil impregnated.
A quick wipe with acetone will certainly help. Then, just glue with pva as has been stated.
Bill