I’m building a stairway (it’s mine ie: for me) and I have all these 4 & 5ft cutoffs of full 2″ & 2 1/2″ x 14″ heart pine that has to be well over 100yrs old, I have enough that I can cull and get 22 crack free treads, after recutting , planning & sanding to the required 1 1/4″ thick x 11″wide x 44″ long will i have a cupping problem with wood this old? or should i resaw into 3 or 4 strips and flip & glue ? which wouldn’t require much culling as i can cut around the cracks and use my wood wiser…
I’d like to use it as planks but am i asking for trouble?
thanks in advance for any input
pony
Replies
If those planks have been air drying for 100 years, I wouldn't worry about them warping.
Things warp because even kiln drying can't get the deep moisture that's inside the lumber. They kiln dry it to get it to market faster. In the real old days, everything was air dried in open sheds. That's the best way still today, but the manufactures can't afford to store it that long.
I wouldn't hesitate about using your pine planks as full width treads.
Ed.
Go ahead and install the treads, very little chance of heart pine 100 years old warping and cupping. Try orange shellac for a finish, looks great if you want the colonial look.I did this several years ago, five coats of 1 1/2lb cut brushed on.I use dewaxed shellac in case a varnish is applied later.
mike
Make sure you plane down to within an 1/8" or 1/16" of finished thickness, then let them sit around in the house for a week or two, then finish plane them. Also take material off both sides.
MERC.
Heart pine is one of the most stable woods I have ever worked with.
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