Australian and Exotic Timbers

NEW AUSTRALIAN STOCK NOW AVAILABLE - ON THE SHELF FROM 09.02.08

We have a range of Australian and Exotic timbers available. These have some very attractive characteristics.

Timbers currently stocked are:-

Exotics

• East African Pao Rosa
  • Has a variety of colours from pink, yellow or dark brown, striped with red/brown bands on the quartered surface. Works well with machine tools. Grain is wavy or interlocked and texture is course. Used for many uses from furniture to turnery.
    
• Amazakoue
  • African hardwood yellowish brown to chocolate in colour with grey to black stripes. Grain is slightly course and grain interlocked.

• Wenge
  • Another African hardwood, heartwood is very dark brown with black stripes. Very durable, can be used for various uses from flooring and furniture to wood turning. A high finish can be achieved.
    
• Zebrano
  • Origibnates from West Africa, light gold in colour with dark brown, almost black strreaks. Finishes well. Used for furniture work.

• Purpleheart
  • As the name suggests, a bright purple in colour, originating from Southern and South American areas, the texture is generally fine, is very durable and easy to work and turn, glues and takes finishes well.

• Sonokeling
  • Also known as Indian Rosewood, The heartwood has a range of colours from light/golden brown through shades of light rose-purple.

• Cocobolo
  • From the pacific regions of Central America. Heartwood becomes an orange red after exposure with black striping or mottling. Fine texture with a variable grain. Very durable and easy to work providing tools are sharp. Takes stains and finishes well.

• Brazilian Tulipwood - Squares
  • An attractive wood violet-red in colour, streaked with deeper red and salmon stripes. Medium to fine texture, used for turning and fancy woodwork.

• Kingwood Squares
  • Heartwood is finely striped - violet brown in colour with a fine texture. Sharp tooling is required to achieve a smooth finish with this timber.

Australian

• Banksia Nuts
  • Found in Western Australia, fruit of a tree or shrub. Discovered by Sir Joseph Banks who travelled with Captain Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Used for turning, handicraft and decorative items.

Many people have asked us what the Banksia Nut is, after some research courtesy of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, we found that Banksia Grandis - to give its full name, is a large shrub to small tree (growing up to 9 metres) with huge yellow inflorescences. In the wild, it occurs from Mount Lesueur to Cape Leeuwin in southwestern Western Australia in sand on the coastal plain, in woodland and heath. It is common in laterite in the Jarrah forest of the Darling Plateau near Perth.

  

• Jarrah - Botanical Name: Eucalyptus Marginata
  • Grows in the south west corner of Western Australia
    Under ideal conditions the tree grows 30-40 metres in height and 2 metres in diameter. The bark is red-brown when fresh, weathering to grey. The timber is deep-red to red-brown, medium hardness and heavy. Straight grained but sometimes contains fiddle back (also called curly grain).Used for furniture making, turning and carving.
  • Picture of Jarrah Burr

• Myrtle burrs (waxed)
• Mallee burrs (waxed)

• Coolibah burrs - Botanical Name: Eucalyptus microtheca
  • Grows in the arid open woodland zones of Australis. It grows around swamps and lagoons. Colour is red to dark brown. Very hard and strong and has an interlocked grain. Aboriginies used part of the trees to treat snakebite.

• Myrtle burr slices

• Grass Tree root 
  • The root of an Australian Lily. Colour can range from dark brown to greenish yellow. Dark flecks throughout. Very Dusty. Some turners soak the root in water before turning to keep the dust to a minimum