Is Pine Good for Woodwork? The Pros and Cons of Working with Pine

Pine is one of the most common woods for projects, furniture-making, and also for construction. This wood has many impressive qualities. It’s durable, sturdy, and easy to work with. However, there are also some disadvantages of using pine with many asking “Is pine good for woodwork?”

Let us help you decide if pine is the right wood for your project in this pine for woodwork guide. We’ll discuss the many great features of pine as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this wood.

What is Pine Wood?

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Before we find out if pine is good for woodwork and the various pros and cons of using pine, let us start with a short background of pine.

Pine is any kind of conifer tree or shrub in the Pinus genus. This is the only genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. There are around 126 species of pine and around 36 unresolved species.

The American Conifer Society and the Royal Horticultural Society have accepted 121 species. This tree is common in the Northern Hemisphere. The term pine is used also to refer to lumber that is harvested from pine trees.

According to experts, pine is the most widely used lumber and this is because of its many impressive qualities. Every species that belong to the Pinus genus have specific characteristics that affect its strength, durability, and workability.

What are the Pros of Using Pine Wood?

Pine has a lovely blonde color.
One of the easiest to work with
Affordable
Good for sound insulation
It is a renewable resource.

What are the Cons of Using Pine Wood?

Has moderate to low susceptibility to molds, rotting, and insect attacks.
The surface is prone to scratching and denting.

What are the Characteristics of Pine Wood?

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Let’s focus on the characteristics of pine wood according to the different pine species.

Pine density and overall strength vary depending on the species. An example would be the southern yellow pine species called Shortleaf Pine which is a very strong wood that’s almost the same as Red Oak. Shortleaf pine also has incredible compression strength that’s parallel to its grain making it stronger than other hardwoods.

Some pines are weaker than Shortleaf pine but these are commonly used in the construction industry. So, when you find pine wood in lumberyards and retail shops, you could be looking at any of the species of pine.

Soft Pines

Soft pines are pine species with unique characteristics. These are low-density woods with an even grain and a visible gradual early to latewood transition. It is hard to distinguish the different species that belong to the soft pines group and to distinguish these from hard pines at first glance. But it’s best to get to know their different characteristics.

There are three soft pine species. Of the three, the Eastern White Pine is known for its very fine texture with the smallest pore diameters. Meanwhile, Sugar Pine is coarse because of its large resin canals. The Western White Pine is not as fine and not too coarse. The last species of the group is the Limber Pine and this wood is not too common in woodworking.

Sugar Pine – Pinus lambertiana

The Sugar Pine is the largest pine species with a height of more than 200 feet. It is a very big tree with thick and large branches. It is dubbed as the most majestic pine species by botanists.

Distribution: Sugar Pines are native to the mountainous areas of the Pacific coast of the United States.
Tree Dimensions: 130 to 200 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 25 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .34, .40
Janka Hardness: 380 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Sugar Pine has a light brown heartwood with reddish hues. The sapwood is a pale yellow to white.
Grain Texture: the grain is even and straight with a medium to rough texture.
Resistance to Rotting: Sugar Pine has a moderate to low resistance to rotting.
Workability: This pine species is easy to work with using hand and power tools.
Presence of Odor: this species has a faint and sweet smell especially when worked.
Toxicity: some people who have worked with pine have reported skin and asthma-like symptoms.
Availability: This species is widely used for woodworking, and construction and has a moderate price for a domestic softwood.
Uses: Sugar Pine is used to making boxes, crates, and musical instruments. It is useful in millwork, construction, and woodworking.

Western White Pine – Pinus monticola

Western White Pine is also called Idaho White Pine as it is the state tree of Idaho State. It is available as commercial lumber with a stamp IWP.

Distribution: Western White Pine is grown in the mountains of western North America
Tree Dimensions: 100 to 150 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 27 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .35, .43
Janka Hardness: 420 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Western White Pine has a light brown heartwood with reddish tones. The sapwood is a pale yellow to white. This wood darkens as it ages.
Grain Texture: this pine species have as a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: the Western White Pine heartwood is susceptible to decay.
Workability: this wood is easy to work with using hand and machine tools. It accepts glues and finishes very well.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight resinous smell especially when worked.
Toxicity: this pine species can cause allergies or asthma-like symptoms
Availability: this wood is harvested and marketed as construction wood and the price could be moderate to high.
Uses: Western White Pine is used in woodworking including veneer, plywood, millwork, boxes and crate making, matches, carving, and construction lumber.

Eastern White Pine – Pinus strobus

Eastern White Pine is very common and used as timber for construction in the northeastern United States.

Distribution: eastern North America
Tree Dimensions: 65 to 100 feet high and 2 to 4 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 25 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .34, .40
Janka Hardness: 380 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Eastern White Pine has a light brown heartwood with a reddish color. The sapwood is yellow to white. This wood can grow dark as it ages.
Grain Texture: this species has a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: the Eastern White Pine heartwood is vulnerable to rotting.
Workability: This pine species is easy to work with using hand and machine tools. It accepts glues and finishes well.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight smell especially when worked.
Toxicity: this species can cause allergies or asthma-like symptoms
Availability: this pine species is construction wood and the price could be moderate to high.
Uses: Eastern White Pine is used in woodworking including veneer, plywood, millwork, carving, and construction lumber.

Limber Pine – Pinus flexilis

Limber pine is not as common in construction because it has little commercial value.

Distribution: mountain regions of western North America
Tree Dimensions: 40 to 50 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 28 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .37, .45
Janka Hardness: 430 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Limber Pine has a light brown heartwood with a reddish hue. The sapwood is narrow with a pale yellow to white color. The color of this pine will become dark as it ages.
Grain Texture: this pine species has a straight grain with a medium and even texture.
Resistance to Rotting: the heartwood is moderate to low rotting resistance.
Workability: Limber Pine accepts glues and finishes well and is easy to work with using hand or machine tools.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight resinous smell when it is worked.
Toxicity: people who have worked with pine have reported some allergic reactions.
Availability: this tree is small and thus it has no commercial value.
Uses: This tree is useful as fuel, for rough construction, and in making boxes and crates

Hard Pines

The hard pines are the complete opposite of short pines when it comes to hardness and wood density. The early to latewood transition of hard pines is abrupt and comes with an uneven grain appearance.

Southern Yellow Pines

The Southern Yellow Pines is a major hard pine species and come with the highest densities and abrupt early to latewood transitions. Southern Yellow Pines have uneven grains. The species that belong to the Southern Yellow Pines are very hard to distinguish from each other and this is even under a microscope!

There are also minor species of Southern Yellow Pines and these are not used as often as major species. These have slightly lower densities. The Caribbean Pine is grown in plantations and has almost identical characteristics to the first four major Southern Yellow Pine species.

Shortleaf Pine – Pinus echinata

Shortleaf pine is hard, dense, and has impressive strength-to-weight ratios.

Distribution: the southeastern United States and also grown in many plantations around the world.
Tree Dimensions: 65 to 100 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 35 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .47, .57
Janka Hardness: 690 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Shortleaf Pine has a reddish brown heartwood and yellow white sapwood.
Grain Texture: this pine species has a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this tree’s heartwood has a low to moderate resistance to rotting.
Workability: this wood works well with all kinds of tools but the resin from the wood can gum up sandpaper and tools. It can dull tool edges but accepts glues and various finishes very well.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a distinct odor.
Availability: this wood is moderately priced
Uses: the Shortleaf Pine is useful in heavy construction including bridges, beams, railroads, and poles. It is also useful in making pulp, veneer, and plywood.

Slash Pine – Pinus elliotti

Slash Pine is another species under the Southern Yellow Pine. It is hard, very dense, and has impressive strength-to-weight ratios.

Distribution: this wood is widely grown in the southeastern parts of the United States and plantations.
Tree Dimensions: 60 to 100 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 41 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .54, .66
Janka Hardness: 760 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Slash Pine has reddish brown heartwood and yellow white sapwood.
Grain Texture: this wood has a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this wood is moderately resistant to rotting.
Workability: this is easy to work with using hand and power tools. However, the resin in the wood can gum up sandpaper and tools. It accepts glues and finishes very well.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a distinct odor when worked.
Availability: Slash Pine is widely available as construction material and is purchased at a modest price.
Uses: this wood is common in heavy construction including building bridges, beams, railroads, and poles. You can use this to make veneers, plywood, and pulp.

Longleaf Pine – Pinus palustris

Longleaf pine is one of the most common species in the southern yellow pine group. It is dense, hard, and has an amazing strength-to-weight ratio. These good qualities make it great for woodworking.

Distribution: southern United States
Tree Dimensions: 100 to 115 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 41 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .54, .65
Janka Hardness: 870 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Longleaf pine has a reddish brown heartwood and yellow-white sapwood.
Grain Texture: Longleaf pine has a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this wood is moderately-resistant to rotting.
Workability: This wood has excellent workability with most hand and power tools. But the resin can gum up sandpaper and tools.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight smell that’s also common in other pine species.
Availability: this wood is available for a moderate price.
Uses: Longleaf Pine is used for different construction projects like roof trusses, piles, joists, poles, stringers, subflooring, sheathing, and more.

Loblolly Pine – Pinus taeda

Loblolly pine is one of the most popular species in the Southern Yellow Pine group. It is hard and dense, qualities that make it great for woodworking.

Distribution: southern United States. This wood is also grown on many plantations.
Tree Dimensions: 100 to 115 feet high and 1.5 to 5 feet wide.
Average Dried Weight: 35 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .47, .57
Janka Hardness: 690 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Loblolly Pine has reddish brown heartwood and yellow white sapwood.
Grain Texture: this wood has a straight grain with a medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this wood is moderately resistant to rotting.
Workability: Loblolly Pine glues and finishes well and works with hand and power tools.
Presence of Odor: this pine species has no odor.
Availability: this wood is available as construction wood at a moderate price.
Uses: Loblolly pine is used in general construction, flooring, and other external applications.

Minor Species of Southern Yellow Pines:

Sand Pine – Pinus clausa
Spruce Pine – Pinus glabra
Table Mountain Pine – Pinus pungens
Pitch Pine – Pinus rigida
Virginia Pine – Pinus virginiana
Pond Pine – Pinus serotina
Caribbean Pine – Pinus caribaea

Western Yellow Pines

The Western Yellow Pines have intermediate characteristics between the soft and hard pines. The species included also have abrupt early to latewood transitions and are lighter. The grains look more even and are often sold interchangeably. You can identify the construction wood of Western Yellow Pines with the initials PP-LP which stands for the two species that are under this group: Lodgepole Pine and Ponderosa Pine.

The two kinds of wood are very difficult to differentiate from each other. The Ponderosa Pine is wider compared to Lodgepole Pine. Ponderosa Pine has more knot-free surfaces and broader arcs than Lodgepole Pine species.

The Jeffrey Pine is not as common as the two but is physically indistinguishable from the Ponderosa Pine. Other miscellaneous Yellow Pines that are not classified as Western Pine are also found under this group: Jack Pine and Radiata Pine. Both are also good for woodworking and are also sold commercially at a reasonable price.

Lodgepole Pine – Pinus contorta

Lodgepole pine has three subspecies and thus, the tree can change from a short tree to a very tall and slender one. This pine species was close to extinction in the 1990s and 2000s due to mountain pine beetle attacks.

Distribution: from Western North America
Tree Dimensions: 65 to 100 feet high and 1 to 2 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 29 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .38, .47
Janka Hardness: 480 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: the Lodgepole Pine heartwood is light red to yellow-brown with yellow-white sapwood. There are pronounced marks or dimples along the flatsawn surface of Lodgepole pine.
Grain Texture: this wood species has a straight grain and medium texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this wood has a moderate to low resistance to rotting.
Workability: This pine species is easy to work with whether you’re using power or hand tools.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight resinous smell when it’s worked.
Availability: this wood is sold as construction lumber at a moderate price.
Uses: Lodgepole pine is useful in making veneer, sheathing, plywood, crates, boxes, interior trims, posts, and poles, and also for cabinets.

Ponderosa Pine – Pinus ponderosa

Ponderosa pine is yellow pine and shares various qualities with white pines. Flagstaff, Arizona earned its name from a flag pole where the United States flag was raised.

Distribution: this wood is native to Western North America
Tree Dimensions: 100 to 165 feet high and 2 to 4 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 28 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .38, .45
Janka Hardness: 460 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Ponderosa pine has a reddish-brown heartwood and yellow-white sapwood.
Grain Texture: this species has a straight grain with a moderate texture.
Resistance to Rotting: this pine species have low to moderate rotting resistance.
Workability: this wood is easy to work with whether you’re using hand or power tools.
Presence of Odor: this wood has a slight and resinous smell when it’s being worked
Availability: this wood is widely available all over western North America. It is the most important lumber in the western United States.
Uses: this wood is used to make boxes, crates, poles, cabinets, subflooring, sheathing, plywood, veneer, and trims. This is also available as construction hardware.

Red Pines

Red pine is a subgroup of Western Yellow Pines. There is only one species under this group: the Red Pine. There are two closely related species to the Red Pine: the Austrian Pine and Scots Pine which are found in Europe.

Red Pine – Pinus resinosa

Red Pine is the state tree of the state of Minnesota. Another name for Red Pine is Norway Pine but there is no link to the country of Norway.

Distribution: Northeastern North America
Tree Dimensions: 65 to 100 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Average Dried Weight: 34 pounds per cubic feet
Specific Gravity: .41, .55
Janka Hardness: 560 pounds-feet
Color and Appearance: Red pine has a reddish-brown heartwood and pale yellow to white sapwood.
Grain Texture: this wood has a straight grain with an even texture and a slightly oily surface
Resistance to Rotting: the heartwood is not durable to rot.
Workability: it is easy to work with using hand and power tools. Works well with glues and finishes but is a challenge when painting.
Presence of Odor: it has a slight and distinct resinous smell when worked.
Availability: this wood is mixed with pine, spruce, and fir and goes by the abbreviation SPF. This is available for purchase at a moderate price.
Uses: Red pine is good for woodworking and can also be useful in constructing posts, utility poles, paper, railroad ties, and construction lumber.

Pinyon Pines

The Pinyon Pine group has only one species: Pinyon Pine. This wood also has abrupt early to latewood transitions with narrow growth rings and many resin canals. Pinyon Pine has a distinct smell and is smaller than other pines. It is seldom used for general construction, lumber, and other woodworking tasks.

Final Words

Pine is good for woodworking. Depending on the pine species, this wood is strong, durable, and workable. You can use hand or power tools on pine wood with ease. This wood is also more affordable and readily available than other wood species and thus, pine is great for different projects and construction use.