Had a piece of heart pine in the corner that I been eyeballin' for awhile now. Leftover piece of 1/2" x 6" x 2' from a cabinet job I helped a friend do. Had a cross pattern that I thought would look nice and slapped it on and off I went. First time I ever scrolled heart pine and hopefully it won't be my last because I absolutley love it. This love comes with a learning curve though.
The bright spots are that the wood looks great for one. Can't beat it! It cuts like a dream and I used a FD-SR #3. The blades lasted longer than I thought and I didn't get the first burn on any turn inside or out. Best of all, I think, is that it cut straight. It was very, very easy to stay on line and make long straight cuts. I was amzed at that. Some woods you fight to stay on line but with the heart pine it was a cinch. Plus, the smell of heart pine in a shop can't be beat. Better than my wifes perfume from Victorias Secret.
There were only a couple of things I noticed that differs from other commomly scrolled woods. Heart pine is "gummy". In order to save some time and aggravation next time I'll only drill about 10 holes at a time to cut. I drilled all my holes and now I'm having to go back and clean them out with an old blade or drill them again because they "gummed" up. I used a #63 drill bit that fits my SR #3 but not after 20 mins. it won't. If space permits a larger bit would suffice better and all holes probably could be drilled. The "gumminess" might be helping in the lubrication department too.
I know I said "a couple" of things but actually thats it. Its a great wood to scroll and one of the best lookin' to use. One major drawback is that its not easy to find and it tends to be rather expensive rivaling the most exotic woods in board/ft. pricing. You can't zip on down to your supplier and pick up a few pieces. Thank God for scrap wood because one mans scrap is another mans work of art.
