[Woodcarver] Question about resinous wood (root)

[Alex Bisso]

Yesterday I collected a couple of pieces of interesting wood from an 
overturned douglas fir or spruce tree.  I've done this before, primarily for 
use as a base for fish carvings due to the naturally nice appearance and 
interesting shapes.  now I am thinking that it might be nice to carve 
something in it but am concerned about possible difficulties due to the fact 
that the wood is saturated with resin to the extent that it is almost 
translucent.  In spite of this, when tested with a knife it seemed to cut 
beautifully, leaving a glasslike finish and no apparent stickiness or resin 
on the blade.  Does anyone have experience carving such wood?  Specifically:
Does resin buildup on the hand tools become a problem after they are used a 
while?
Will using power tool bits get clogged up if used on the wood?
Will it sand well or just tend to gum up sandpaper?
Actually, I am quite sure that I could be sucessful using hand tools to 
carve it but have more doubts about power tools and what finish to use. 
This is important because l am interested in using it to carve a natural 
finish fish that could be mounted on a piece of the natural root.  That 
would, of course, require some power carving and sanding to get a glasslike 
finish.
Assuming this can be done, what problems might I have applying a finish and 
what type of finishes would be recommended?
I would be interested in learning from anyone who has had experience carving 
very resinous wood.
Thanks
ALEX