Steve, I've turned a few pieces from pine that looked very similar to your example. It was a commission for some folks that wanted a few pieces to remember an old tree in their grandparents yard. I don't think I'd do it again, it was very messy. The wood is very difficult to cut cleanly and even more difficult to sand in addition to making a mess of my tools and lathe. I resorted to spraying it with WD-40 and wet sanding. The sandpaper would clog instantly without the WD-40. I'm sure any solvent would work, I just had that on hand. I had to use it through all the grits. After sanding, I let it sit for about a week if I remember right and then used Deft rattle can lacquer for the final finish. In the end the pieces actually turned out ok and they were happy. I'm sure that even if you could find some 100 year old wood it would still be difficult to work with, it's just the nature of the wood.