> I am a carpenter and have been planning my first strip-built kayak for
> quite some time now. My last job involved the removal of siding from a
> 1930's house. I found this siding to be old growth yellow pine. The growth
> rings average 30yrs/in. I have finished milling the siding down to
> 11/16" x 3" boards ranging in length from 4' to 24'. The
> majority of the lumber is straight grained with few knots. If I rip the
> board the grain will be running correctly for strip-building.

> Is this "free" lumber worth using? If I use it will I have a
> problem with the high resin content in this wood and the epoxi? I know
> from reading the past discussions on the bulletin board that it will weigh
> more than cedar but will it be too heavy for kayak building? (Ave. wgt. is
> 2lbs. 8oz. for a 3/4"x3"x48" board)

> Thanks, Matthew

If I were a deceitful SOB I'd gleefully tell you this stuff is awful, and that the only proper way to dispose of it would be to ship it to me for disposal. Unfortunately I`m not that deceitful, and I, too, am green with envy.

Is free lumber worth it? Heck yes ! ! !

I wouldn't worry about the natural resin in the wood. That might be a bigger concern with freshly cut wood. But in your well aged wood the conditions should be different. After being out in the sun and weather for so many years it has either already weeped and oozed out of the boards, or it has oxidized, polymerized and solidified inside the wood. The epoxy should soak in just fine and bond to the wood fibers.

For its size your pine will be a little 'tougher' than cedar, ( I'd say 'stronger', but that raises the ire of the engineers who read this) so you can get away with thinner strips.

Using 3/16 inch thick strips will automatically cut 25% from the weight of the wood used in your boat -- and bring that component close to the weight of 1/4 inch cedar strips. I've seen a 20 year old canoe made with 3/16 pine and the owner assured me it had been used a lot, and is still durable. I expect a kayak would fare the same. For that matter, kayaks built with thinner cedar strips (1/8th inch) and several layers of fiberglass cloth on both sides are also reputed to be very durable and light weight.

Considering the tight grain structure, I'd strongly consider going with 3/16, or a sliver less. If you have surface planer, rip the stuff to a bit more than 3/16, and plane it to a bit less.

One of the nicer things about using 3/16 inch thick strips is that you get a few more from each board you rip. That means those 24 foot lengths will provide a few more of those convenient full-length strips. Of course you'll cry more when you see how much of those boards gets turned to sawdust, so you'll want to work with a bandsaw or the thinnest kerf circular saw blade you can find.

You get any more wood like that and want to sell, swap or share you are looking at a large audience.

Best of luck with your boat

Paul G. Jacobson