Pine Sap

[jbasen]

I very, very rarely use pine on a furniture project.  I just use the odd 2x4 when I need to do some sort of construction project in my home.  I just purchased some 1" x 12" pine that I'll be using in a rustic furniture project after I cover it with birch bark.  I noticed that there are a bunch of places on the lumber that have sap on them.  When I saw this on some 2x4's I used in my attic on a project a few years ago I found that the heat in the attic caused the sap to drip for several summers before it finally stopped.  So, I have 2 questions.

1) What is the best way to clean the sap from the boards?  I know I could sand it off but I expect it will quickly load up the sandpaper and I was curious if there was a better way.

2) Is there a good way to seal the wood so it can't ooze sap in warm weather; which might affect the birch bark I'll be gluing to it?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[wakyct]

1) What is the best way to clean the sap from the boards?  I know I could sand it off but I expect it will quickly load up the sandpaper and I was curious if there was a better way.

When I've needed to do this (prior to priming knots in raw wood) I've used a heat gun until no more sap bubbled out (edit: removing the sap with a putty knife), and then cleaned the surface with turpentine.

 

[jbasen]

Great Idea!  Thanks [member=63583]George Oliver[/member]!!

 

[Cheese]

I’ve used a sharp wide chisel...think 1.5” wide. That way it has less of a tendency to dig into the softer wood that surrounds the sap.

 

[jbasen]

Thanks [member=44099]Cheese[/member]

 

[jbasen]

I just tried using a heat gun and the sap just pours out of the spot in the wood where it was visible. I just pulled the gun away, wiped it up with a paper towel, and repeated the process. It did slightly char the wood a bit but I could remove most of the discoloration with a little sanding. I also tried my wife’s blow dryer but that didn’t seem to produce enough heat.

Be aware that even though I didn’t see any visible smoke this set my smoke detector off almost immediately.

Great tip.  Thanks again

 

[Birdhunter]

Fascinating discussion. I use Spanish cedar inside my boxes as people love the smell. I find pockets of sap. I’ll try the heat gun trick.

The smoke detector issue reminded me my bachelor time in a job transition. I was in a condo in New Jersey while my wife remained in Connecticut to sell our house. I’d get home from work, start dinner, pour a cocktail, and call her. We both knew that when the smoke detector went off, my dinner was ready.

My neighbors understood I was a helpless bachelor so never complained.