Commonly used timbers in Crafted
Products such as Boxes
Some species used in exterior signs |
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American Walnut
Juglans nigra
L
Family: Juglandaceae
Other names black walnut.
Distribution
Black walnut is widely distributed throughout North
America. from south Ontario southward to Texas, and in the east, from
Maine to Florida. but it is not plentiful, firstly because its growth is
scattered, and secondly. because of the clearing of around for cultivation
and the demands for the timber have exhausted the supply in many areas.
The tree
Under favourable conditions, the tree attains a height
of 30m and a diameter of 15m or more, the bole often being clear for 15m
to 18m.
The timber
The sapwood is usually narrow, and pale brown in colour,
the artwood varying in colour from rich chocolate-brown to a
purplish-black. The wood has a fine even texture and a rather coarse
grain, and weighs about 660 kg/rn3 when dried.
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Coachwood
(Ceratopetalum
apetalum)
A medium sized hardwood, straight-growing with smooth, fragrant,
greyish bark. The stem has distinctive horizontal marks, or scars, which
often encircle the trunk. Larger trees have short buttresses.
Occurs in the central and northern coastal rainforests of New South
Wales and southern Queensland. The species prefers gullies and creeks and
often occurs in almost pure stands.
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Australian Cypress
(Callitris
glaucophylla)
Australian White Cypress is a moderately small tree, usually around 20
metres in height and 300 -600 mm in diameter. Botanically the species
is a softwood, which results in it occasionally being referred to as
Cypress Pine however, unlike most Pines the timber is particularly
hard and durable. It grows across most of the lower rainfall areas
Australia apart from the very North of the continent, but its main
occurrence is on the Western slopes and plains of NSW and
Queensland. The timber is very fine grained with a strong but
pleasant odour. The heartwood varies considerably in colour from
light straw to dark chocolate brown, the sapwood is always distinctively
light yellow to almost white. Frequent knots and defined grain
pattern provide lots of feature.
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European Ash
(Fraxinus excelsior)
White to light brown, temporarily turning pink when freshly cut. Trees
occasionally contain irregular dark brown or black heart, not necessarily
associated with decay. Straight grain. Contrast between porous early wood
and dense late wood produces decorative figure in plain-swan or rotary cut
veneer.
Uses: Sports goods, tool handles, furniture parts, road vehicles and
agricultural implements, boat-building, fancy turnery.
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European Beech
(Fagus
sylvatica)
The European Beech is one of a large family of about a thousand
species, mostly trees, which grow all over the non-tropical parts of the
world. Only a few are native to northern temperate regions.
'Fagus' is derived from a Latin word for 'eating', because the seeds of
the tree are edible. 'Sylvatica' is also Latin and means 'of the woods'.
The word 'beech' is an Anglo-Saxon derivation and is in many North-west
European languages synonymous with the word 'book': 'bok' in Swedish, 'buche'
in German, 'beuk' in Dutch, 'boece' in old English. This is due to the
fact that in this part of the world beech wood was used to inscribe runes
and literature on, and so tablets and thin slices of Beech were probably
the earliest European books within our present memory.
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Hoop Pine
(Araucaria
cunninghamii), also called Dorrigo Pine, Colonial Pine, or Arakaria is a
rainforest timber, native to northern NSW, Queensland and the mountain
regions of PNG. It is the only native tropical timber grown in substantial
quantities in plantations within Australia. (Plantations have been
established since the early 1920's, when attempts to source Hoop from
naturally regenerated forests failed.)
Hoop Pine is available on the NSW market as plywood, mouldings, sawn
timber and slabs. Queensland has extensive Hoop Pine plantations which are
now mature. These are managed by the Qld Forest Service but harvested by
private contractors.Suitable for: plywood, particleboard, furniture,
joinery, flooring, panelling.
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Jarrah
(Eucalyptus marginata)
Jarrah is uniquely confined to the temperate forests in
the south west corner of Western Australia. Jarrah trees grow to a height
of about 30-40 metres (100-130 ft.) and a trunk diameter of up to 2 metres
(6 ft.).
Durability
Jarrah is rated Class 2 durability (on a scale of 4)
meaning that the timber possesses a high natural resistance to decay,
termite and borer attack and can be expected to give long service life
under all normal conditions including ground contact. In exposed in ground
conditions, a typical service life of 15 to 25 years without the use of
preservatives can be expected.
Jarrah is also highly resistant to rot, fire, termites, marine borers and
most acids
Density
Jarrah has a density of approx. 835 kg. per cu.m.,
almost twice that of Redwood and over double the density of cedar or
yellow pine.
Hardness
Jarrah is rated as "Hard" (rating 2 on a scale of 6 ).
It is 4 times the hardness of Redwood or yellow pine and 5 times the
hardness of cedar (Janka hardness scale).
Colour
The wood of the jarrah tree varies in colour from a rich
reddish brown to a soft salmon pink, depending on the age of the tree. The
colour usually darkens with exterior exposure.
Grain and texture
Jarrah has a clean smooth surface and dense, straight
grain making it much sought after for fine indoor and outdoor furniture,
flooring and mouldings.
Resource management
A very large proportion of the Western Australian jarrah
forests is publicly owned and managed on a sustainable yield basis by The
Government Department of
Conservation and Land
Management.
The resource management and conservation of the 1.4 million hectares (3.46
million acres) of jarrah forests under Government control is supported by
an extensive research programme which ensures that these beautiful and
unique jarrah forests will always be available for future generations to
use and enjoy.
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Khaya Mahogany
(Khaya
ivorensis)
The species is reported to be found in all the timber producing areas
of West Africa, from Ivory Coast to Gabon and Cabinda, and is primarily
found in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. Unlike other Khaya species
which do not require much rainfall, it is reported to grow in the rain
forest in low-lying areas within its range.
The tree is reported to reach heights of 110 to 140 feet (33 to 43 m),
with trunk diameters of up to 6 feet (1.8 m). The tree usually develops
straight, well-formed boles that measure about 40 to 80 feet (12 to 24 m)
above strong buttresses that are reported to be up to 8 feet (2.5 m) high.
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Radiata pine
(Pinus radiata)
Radiata Pine has a wide range of applications
and uses, combined with ability to tolerate variable sites and
rainfall, making it a perfect renewable plantation species.
Radiata pine is a versatile, fast growing and popular
plantation species with almost 700,000 hectares planted in
Australia. It is native to North America occurring at three
mainland sites in California, USA, and two island populations
off the coast of Mexico.
Radiata Pine was introduced to Australia in
the 1850s as an ornamental tree and was soon identified as a
suitable plantation species for a range of sites. The
plantations in the ACT were first established as part of
Walter Burley Griffin's plan to reforest the eroded hills and
provide timber resources for the growing city of Canberra.
It is a versatile species with a number of
characteristics ideal for use in plantations, such as:
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Seed is easily collected and rapidly
germinated;
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Plants are easily raised in nurseries;
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Seedling survival is good;
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Suited to a considerable range of growing
conditions;
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Rapid growth after thinning;
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Quick healing of pruning wounds;
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Ability to be easily improved via tree
selection and breeding; and
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Fast growing, maturing in about 30 years.
Radiata pine is one to the world's
most versatile softwoods. It is called a softwood
tree because the wood does not have pores like
hardwood trees do, but it has long fibres or
tracheids. The name softwood does not relate to
the hardness or density of the timber, in fact
Radiata Pine is harder than many hardwoods such as
poplars and balsa.
As
Radiata Pine has a wide range of applications and
uses, it no wonder that it has become one of the
most widely grown exotic timber species in the
world. Some of the timber properties which make
this species so popular include:
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The wood's finishing and
woodworking properties mean that it is ideally
suited to a wide range of high value end uses;
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It has a medium density with
light colouration;
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The timber has uniform
texture and relatively straight grain;
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The wood has excellent
treatment drying, machine, finishing, staining,
gluing and laminating properties;
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It is extremely easy to
season and can be kiln-dried rapidly from green;
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In core twisting can be
minimised by good stacking and restraint;
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The timber is non-durable,
but it can be readily treated with preservative;
and
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The wood is prone to sap
stain attack, but this can be combated by a dip
treatment.
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Western Red Cedar ( Thuja plicata Donn
ex D. Don ) Dimensional
Stability
Western Red Cedar has twice the stability of most
commonly available softwoods. The stability is a result of
its low density and shrinkage factors. It lies flat, stays
straight, and holds fastenings tightly.
Workability
Western Red Cedar produces long, lightweight lengths of
timber with a fine, straight grain and uniform texture that
make it easy to cut, saw and nail with common tools. These
features also contribute to its ability to be planed to a
smooth surface or machined to any pattern. The lack of pitch
and resin allows Western Red Cedar to hold glue bonds from a
wide range of adhesives and provide a firm base for many
types of paints and stains.
Natural Preservative
Western Red Cedar is one of the world's most durable
woods. Natural resistance to moisture, decay and insect
damage has long made Western Red Cedar the premier choice
for either interior or exterior home use. Cedar fibers in
the heartwood contain natural preservatives that are toxic
to decay-causing fungi. The two principal extractives that
are responsible for the decay resistance are Thujaplicans
and water-soluble phenolics. The tree's ability to produce
these extractives increases with age, making the outer
regions of heartwood the most durable.
Flame Spread and Smoke Development Ratings
Western Red Cedar has flame spread and smoke development
classifications that are superior to the minimums set by
most building codes, which permit the use of cedar heartwood
without preservative treatments.
All-Weather
Western Red Cedar is one of the few wood species that are
naturally at home in the outdoors. Properly finished,
Western Red Cedar will last for decades, even in harsh
environments. Its natural resistance to moisture, decay and
insect damage make it the ideal choice for a surface that is
exposed to sun, rain, heat and cold all year round.
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Queensland Maple
(Flindersia
brayleyana)
A medium sized tree attaining a height of 40 m and 2.5 m in stem
diameter. The trunk is usually well formed, circular in cross-section and
not buttressed. The bark, which is approximately 12 mm thick, is grey to
brown in colour. It has fairly distinct longitudinal fissures. In older
trees these fissures are not so marked owing to a tendency to scaliness.
Restricted in its distribution to northern Queensland rainforests
between Townsville and the Windsor Tableland.
Timber of this species is now of very limited commercial availability
as the main areas in which it occurs have received World Heritage listing.
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Red Gum
River red gum
(Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is the most widely distributed of all eucalypt
species, occurring in all mainland states from 12.5 - 38 0 S. It is
typically found along permanent and ephemeral watercourses. It grows under
a large range of environmental conditions - from sub-humid to semi-arid -
and the mean annual rainfall range is mostly within 250 - 600 mm. It is a
large-boled medium-to-tall sized tree.
As expected with a species with such a broad geographic distribution,
provenance differences are marked, and the sub-tropical and tropical
provenances are not suitable for farm forestry use in dryland southern
Australia. While the timber is useful for heavy construction, flooring,
framing and fencing, the species often suffers from form problems, making
utilisable logs hard to produce. Studies conducted by CALM and others
indicate that Lake Albacutya and Laura from South Australia may be the
best provenance selections for overall form and growth.
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Silky Oak
(Cardwellia
sublimis)
A large tree commonly attaining 40 m in height and 2 m in stem
diameter. The trunk, usually without buttresses, is normally straight. The
bark is slightly flaky to non-descript. The outer blaze is commonly
biscuit-brown in colour.
This species has a limited distribution in north Queensland between Mt
Spec, near Townsville, and Bloomfield.
Timber of this species is now of very limited commercial availability
as the main areas in which it occurs have received World Heritage listing.
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Wattle Blackwood
Acacia melanoxylon
is an extraordinarily beautiful timber that is highly regarded by fine
cabinet makers. It has quite distinctive colours, ranging from reds and
browns, orange and salmon pink, through to a deep chocolate colour.
Blackwood is of the humble Wattle family of timber, and is found mainly
in Tasmania and the wetter parts of Victoria. Because of its increasing
popularity and greater demand the supply of Blackwood is limited.
Originally used for furniture in Tasmania in the 19th century, it was
largely ignored for furniture purposes until about the 1980s. In recent
years it has been used in many attractive kitchens, and, more recently, in
fine furniture.
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