Pine strip is profiled stock cut from a softwood. Against hardwoods it is lighter and easier to slice, but the growth rings show far more strongly and the fibres tend to tear when cut across the grain. It suits frames, boarding, timber structures and scenic elements where the natural grain of the wood is meant to be seen.
Pine holds a pin or a dowel well. What it does not take kindly to is fine sanding down to a crisp arris, where the soft early wood crumbles away before the edge is clean.
For deck planking, light trim strip and finer work, lime is usually the better species, and it sits with the other woods in the wooden profiles, along with flat sections and strip from 2 × 8 mm upwards. Where the part has to be hard and genuinely strong, carry on to the beech blocks. Whichever species you use, brush the sanding dust off before gluing and assemble on a flat surface, or the structure will twist as the joints dry.
