I am having a bit of a sap/gum problem with my Oregon tabletop which at the moment I have left raw (unfinished).
The timber is very well aged (at least 20 years), quartersawn thick originally, now it's been put through a thicknesser it's about 60mm thick. It came from some massive beams which were salvaged from a collapsed building after an earthquake in another part of the country. I've previously used quartersawn wood from the same batch as massive shelves which I finished with Danish Oil and which came out brilliantly.
I would have oiled this tabletop too, but it needs a lot more sanding (by hand!) to get it perfectly even and level and smooth enough to oil (the laminate join between the two bits of timber that make up the tabletop is lower than the rest of the tabletop, it should have gone through the thicknesser a few more times AFTER being joined, but that's wasn't feasible), and unfortunately the weather isn't reliable enough to do that for another couple of months. Plus, it just cool just being raw timber as it is right now.
The sap has only come out in the last few days, and I am sure it is because I have been turning the heating up to stay warm. It's doesn't come off at the touch and it smells fine, so it's not a massive inconvenience, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to 'cure' the sap? I would prefer to stick with my plan of oiling the tabletop, but I could varnish it instead if that is a more reliable option. But, like I said, I have used this timber elsewhere and finished it with oil and I have had no problems.