# Info on some Aussie Trees - Hardness,density,use etc.



## Matildasmate (Jun 1, 2007)

A pdf,for anyone Interested in info onSome of the Aussie tree species Hardness density use etc.


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## woodshop (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks matildasmate... as a lover and collector of wood, I found that very interesting. As I've said before, I wish Australia weren't so inaccessible to the average person ($$$$$). If it were as close as Canada or Mexico, I'd be there every summer collecting and buying unique wood.


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## BobL (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks MM, That's a very good article, good reference list as well. A pity that it doesn't have the minor? species in there for completeness.

Cheers


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks, MM.


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## aquan8tor (Jun 2, 2007)

I for one can't believe how many Aussie hardwoods are denser than 1000kg/sq.meter, even dry. Sounds like you have some pretty hard wood, all in all. Lots of sinkers. I can't imagine that's a lot of fun to be sharpening chains in the field with, either. I know that cutting a bunch of white oak or locust dulls the crap out of my chains in a hurry when I cut firewood; something with almost 1/4-1/3 more density must be a true PITA, but a pleasure to build, or burn with, for that matter, if its not big enough to mill...



I know this is the milling forum and all, and it would be a crime to cut down your beautiful trees for just firewood, but what are aussie woods like to burn with in a woodstove?? I know that all of the eucalyptus species have a fair amount of flammable oil, but is it contained in the heartwood too, or just the bark and sapwood? Just curious...


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## BobL (Jun 2, 2007)

aquan8tor said:


> I for one can't believe how many Aussie hardwoods are denser than 1000kg/sq.meter, even dry. Sounds like you have some pretty hard wood, all in all. Lots of sinkers. I can't imagine that's a lot of fun to be sharpening chains in the field with, either. I know that cutting a bunch of white oak or locust dulls the crap out of my chains in a hurry when I cut firewood; something with almost 1/4-1/3 more density must be a true PITA, but a pleasure to build, or burn with, for that matter, if its not big enough to mill...


Just a technical comment of getting "density" mixed up with "hardness" as they don't always match up. Yes we have our fair share of hard and densie timber and it's a real PITA sharpening, but the rewards are generally worth it. Not all these timbers come in what we think of as millable trees.

That Jam wood as its called is a good example - remember this





Hard and dense and a real pig to work. The most common use of this timber is as fenceposts because Termites won't eat it. It also rarely grows much thicker than your arm.



> I know this is the milling forum and all, and it would be a crime to cut down your beautiful trees for just firewood, but what are aussie woods like to burn with in a woodstove?? I know that all of the eucalyptus species have a fair amount of flammable oil, but is it contained in the heartwood too, or just the bark and sapwood? Just curious...


Some make fantastic firewood and burn to nothing but you have to remember that apart from an area (bout the size of Switzerland) we don't get snow and most of the country is HOT or warm, even in winter. In the city it makes more sense to use gas (which we have a couple of hundred years worth) for heating rather than burn timber. In the countryside people use what they can get. Mallee roots are a favourite and give awesome heat for volume burnt - also hard as #%^$^.


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## aquan8tor (Jun 2, 2007)

Yeah, guess I didn't think about that. Hot 'n dry. Sure would like to visit someday. I'm the only one in my family that HASN"T been to Australia. Bit jealous, I am. 

I looked again at the density/hardness scales. They are different than I would've imagined with some. Still though, I've seen a bunch of beautiful trees on this site from you guys down under. Keep it up.


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*If you want a good book on trees*



BobL said:


> Thanks MM, That's a very good article, good reference list as well. A pity that it doesn't have the minor? species in there for completeness.
> 
> Cheers



Hi Bob If you want a good book on aussie trees , Forest trees of Australia is excelent,theres new versions of it out now though not sure what there like mine is about 14 years old,thats the book I used to work out what species to plant at my place I planted some of your native species about 8 years ago . Roughly , 2000 WA Karri , some are about 30' high now


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*US - Wood Handboook*



aggiewoodbutchr said:


> Thanks, MM.



Hi Aggie Thanks for the shortcut mate . I found an interesting book on US and other species of tree , on one of the pages , called wood Handbook http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*Mallee root table*



BobL said:


> Just a technical comment of getting "density" mixed up with "hardness" as they don't always match up. Yes we have our fair share of hard and densie timber and it's a real PITA sharpening, but the rewards are generally worth it. Not all these timbers come in what we think of as millable trees.
> 
> That Jam wood as its called is a good example - remember this
> 
> ...



I Made a nice mallee root table , which I gave too my sister . I will get a couple of photos of it soon


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*Eucy Oil*



aquan8tor said:


> I for one can't believe how many Aussie hardwoods are denser than 1000kg/sq.meter, even dry. Sounds like you have some pretty hard wood, all in all. Lots of sinkers. I can't imagine that's a lot of fun to be sharpening chains in the field with, either. I know that cutting a bunch of white oak or locust dulls the crap out of my chains in a hurry when I cut firewood; something with almost 1/4-1/3 more density must be a true PITA, but a pleasure to build, or burn with, for that matter, if its not big enough to mill...
> 
> 
> 
> I know this is the milling forum and all, and it would be a crime to cut down your beautiful trees for just firewood, but what are aussie woods like to burn with in a woodstove?? I know that all of the eucalyptus species have a fair amount of flammable oil, but is it contained in the heartwood too, or just the bark and sapwood? Just curious...


 
Eucys Generaly have the most oil in the leaves and minor amounts anywhere else. They burn a lot of Redgum,Stringy bark,Hill gum sheok ,some blackwood and a lot of other stuff around here


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*Cold and wet*



aquan8tor said:


> Yeah, guess I didn't think about that. Hot 'n dry. Sure would like to visit someday. I'm the only one in my family that HASN"T been to Australia. Bit jealous, I am.
> 
> I looked again at the density/hardness scales. They are different than I would've imagined with some. Still though, I've seen a bunch of beautiful trees on this site from you guys down under. Keep it up.



Its rather cold and wet down here this time of year . It has been pissing down here on and off for the last two months , although the last 2 years have been the driest I have seen it around here in the last 30 odd years or so


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## Outback (Jun 2, 2007)

Whilst we get little snow in Australia, large parts get ppretty cold. Nearly all of our eucalypts make good firewood. A lot of our species can be a little plain in the grain when compared to the northern hemisphere species. I guess its a case of the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Perhaps we should organise a swap, we'll meet half way,somewhere in the middle of the ocean.


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## BobL (Jun 2, 2007)

I don't want to labour the point here but when we say pretty cold we Aussies mean around 0oC (32F) or slightly below. When North'mericans say pretty cold they mean -18oC (0F) or even colder. 

One of the reasons many Australians need to heat houses for more/longer than we should is we make em too flimsy. My alpine carpenter European cousins laugh at our house construction - made neither to last or heat. Houses designed to retain heat also retain coolth but instead of doing this we burn more wood than we should or bolt on a bigger air con. Another reason why we're up there as big greenhouse gas generators. 

Rant over


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*Cold*



Outback said:


> Whilst we get little snow in Australia, large parts get ppretty cold. Nearly all of our eucalypts make good firewood. A lot of our species can be a little plain in the grain when compared to the northern hemisphere species. I guess its a case of the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
> Perhaps we should organise a swap, we'll meet half way,somewhere in the middle of the ocean.



Hi Outback Yes , your right , some of the places ive been and lived get in the minuses , Ballarat vic , Millicent sa , Kalgoorlie wa . Yes saddly , quite a few of the eucy's we have , have very simular grains , thats all the stuff they chuck into , What they call , Tassie oak , which is a fancy name for mixed gum timbers . We used to get a lot of , mixed plain grain logs , from the snowy mountains for the Eucy pulp mill , which i used to work in . Just another dept of the same joint i work in now.


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## Matildasmate (Jun 2, 2007)

*Beautiful American timbers*



Matildasmate said:


> Hi Outback Yes , your right , some of the places ive been and lived get in the minuses , Ballarat vic , Millicent sa , Kalgoorlie wa . Yes saddly , quite a few of the eucy's we have , have very simular grains , thats all the stuff they chuck into , What they call , Tassie oak , which is a fancy name for mixed gum timbers . We used to get a lot of , mixed plain grain logs , from the snowy mountains for the Eucy pulp mill , which i used to work in . Just another dept of the same joint i work in now.





woodshop said:


> Thanks matildasmate... as a lover and collector of wood, I found that very interesting. As I've said before, I wish Australia weren't so inaccessible to the average person ($$$$$). If it were as close as Canada or Mexico, I'd be there every summer collecting and buying unique wood.



Hi woodshop It would be nice to be able to exchange a bit of timber . Aggiewoodbutchr left a link to web page on one of the threads . I found a book on one of these pages , called , Wood Handbook , interesting read . From what ive read and all the pics ive seen on this forum , you guys got a massive variety of beautiful trees over there


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