Aussie timbers

[BobL]

I've been meaning to do this for a while but only recently got around to doing it.

All of these timbers (except one) are native aussie timbers milled by yours truly. Can you guess which one is not. I have already posted most of these pics before so if you have nothing better to do, you can trawl pack through my 4000+ posts and work it out this way - or you can guess.

 

[tomtrees58]

nice bob

 

[BobL]

nice bob

Though you'd like like it.

There are thought to be around 700 Eucalyptus, 200 Bloodwoods, 960 acacias and 17 casuarina species in Australia, so only 1843 more species to try out!

EDIT: Whoops - forgot the Allocasuarinsas - 60 species, and the Mellalucas - 200+ species, I'm sure there are more that others will mention.

Of the 34 timbers on that diagram there are Eucalyptus. Bloodwoods, a Mellaluca, an Acacia and some Allocasuarinsas.
I might add the names of the species and genus later if I get around to it.

 

[mikeb1079]

some of the most beautiful wood i've ever seen. worth all the hard work no doubt.
cheers bob.

btw, the socceroos looked awful on sun. and i was rooting for em.

 

[mtngun]

You make my milling activities seem pretty boring by comparison, Bob.

I can only mill two species.

Maybe someday I'll get lucky and find a tamarack that I can legally harvest, then I'll have three species under my belt. Tamarack is supposed to make good flooring, and I need a floor for my living area.

 

[jimdad07]

Beautiful pictures Bob, I am going to guess that #18 is not native. You could make a great contest with the guessing game I never tire of seeing the pics you post, keep up the good work.

 

[BobL]

You make my milling activities seem pretty boring by comparison, Bob.

I can only mill two species.

Maybe someday I'll get lucky and find a tamarack that I can legally harvest, then I'll have three species under my belt. Tamarack is supposed to make good flooring, and I need a floor for my living area.

Yeah it is hard work and the milling is slow, but I can't believe how lucky we are in terms of variety. Even the variety between logs of the same species is very high. Queensland also has the tropical woods but the West coast where I am is extra special - we are one of the 25 world biodiversity hotspots.

The socceroos are rubbish - I'm not a fan of the round ball game - well not until they start winning anyway

Beautiful pictures Bob, I am going to guess that #18 is not native. You could make a great contest with the guessing game I never tire of seeing the pics you post, keep up the good work.

#18 is the same type of tree (but different logs) as 11, 14, 15, 18 and 19. Its all Lemon Scented Gum, the leaves smell like lemons but the sawdust smells floral sweet and bees will be attracted to freshly cut wood.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

You make my milling activities seem pretty boring by comparison, Bob.

I can only mill two species.

.

I'm right there with you. I grew up in S.C. and the forests there were pretty diverse. Nothing like Bob's area, but alot more species than Co.

Beautiful pics. Bob.

 

[7oaks]

Pretty Cool Bob...Pretty Cool!

 

[Daninvan]

Hey Bob this is tough one for us. You'd probably get better answers if you posted this on the Aussie forum! (Just checked, it's not posted there - darn!)

21 looks very spalted quilted maple-y to me, but I know you don't have any maple in your neck of the woods. So I will guess 17. Macrocarpa? Even though the bark looks too thin for macrocarpa. It's about the least exciting one in your photo. If that's wrong how about a hint?

So you have milled 33 different native Aussie woods - that's pretty good. I did a quick count I think I am at 25 indigenous Canadian woods. Plus a bunch of non native woods from the US, Europe, etc.

Did you remember macadamia in your list of species? I don't mean to brag (any more), but I do have a small piece of macadamia kicking around somewhere.

Dan, hoping that there are 8 more native Canadian woods growing here that I can mill so I can catch up with Bob!

 

[derwoodii]

Ok I throw the racket at one. Hmm 3 draws my eye, more open n large growth rings and a color I not seen. BobL this is hard and a great game I hope you will let us know in good time.
Bob I am not a wood miller nor a carver but I came across a local chap who is and was amazed at his skills, here's a few pic to show. I now very much appreciate your craft.
Wood chains from single logs no links. A snow shovel one piece n that's a bit of Lignum Vitare Guaiacum officinale told is the hardest wood in the world.

 

[BobL]

Hey Bob this is tough one for us. You'd probably get better answers if you posted this on the Aussie forum! (Just checked, it's not posted there - darn!)

21 looks very spalted quilted maple-y to me, but I know you don't have any maple in your neck of the woods. So I will guess 17. Macrocarpa? Even though the bark looks too thin for macrocarpa. It's about the least exciting one in your photo. If that's wrong how about a hint?

17 is Swamp Sheoak - only one pic of that in the composite.
21 is Western Australian Marri, as are 4 and 20.
The amount of kino present in Marri depends on the long term stress the tree is under. #4 was an old park tree which probably received very little water in summer. The other 2 were from trees in domestic gardens that received a lot of water so they produced very little kino although I did find a big fat pocket of it in one that I could fit my hand into.

The fiddle on that tree is kinda special. There is a new church in the Perth Suburb of Applecross where all the church pews are made from this stuff - it looks so good. Marri used to be considered just a junk tree and millers used to leave them standing. More recently, as it still readliy available it has been flogged off to the Japanese for would you believe wood chips for making cardboard. Meanwhile boutique furniture makers cannot get enough of it.

So you have milled 33 different native Aussie woods - that's pretty good.

Sorry - from my response above you have probably worked out that the pictures in the composites are not all different species (there are only 17 species represented). The pictures are taken mostly from different logs. I'd guess I have milled about a similar number of native species as you have but I only started taken an interest in knowing what the species were more recently and because I did not take photos of all of them I have no idea exactly how many I have milled.

Did you remember macadamia in your list of species? I don't mean to brag (any more), but I do have a small piece of macadamia kicking around somewhere.

According to Wikipedia Macadamia has 7 species, unfortunately none near my place.

 

[BobL]

Thanks for posting the pics - the chains do look pretty amazing.

Ok I throw the racket at one. Hmm 3 draws my eye, more open n large growth rings and a color I not seen. BobL this is hard and a great game I hope you will let us know in good time.
Bob I am not a wood miller nor a carver but I came across a local chap who is and was amazed at his skills, here's a few pic to show. I now very much appreciate your craft.
Wood chains from single logs no links. A snow shovel one piece n that's a bit of Lignum Vitare Guaiacum officinale told is the hardest wood in the world.

 

[Ted J]

I say it's number 28.

Ted

 

[hazard]

30 looks like a type of oak. Probably sheoak.

34 looks like cherry crotch wood. Also there looks to be circlular saw rings on the board.

Chris

 

[BobL]

I say it's number 28.
Ted

28 is Acacia Acuminata, Amazing wood - smells like raspberry jam when cut and hard as hard as hard.

30 looks like a type of oak. Probably sheoak.

Correct - Western Australian Allocasuarina Fraseriana.

34 looks like cherry crotch wood. Also there looks to be circlular saw rings on the board.

34 is Western Australian Red Gum (tree planted by me 34 years ago in our back garden) and taken down a few years ago. I milled some of it up and then let it dry out and had some pieces resurface using a Lucas mill - hence the circular saw marks

 

[smithie55]

Hey Bob,
31 looks like western juniper?

 

[BobL]

Hey Bob,
31 looks like western juniper?

Cheers smithie
#31 is Western Australian Red Gum. Not because the wood is red but because of the pockets of blood red resin sprinkled throughout the wood. Those dark patches are all resin.

 

[betterbuilt]

I'm gonna guess its 3 or 10. They look similar to this elm I milled a few years back.

 

[BobL]

I'm gonna guess its 3 or 10. They look similar to this elm I milled a few years back.

3 is sugar gum, a hard eucalypt with variable color.
Here is a link to where I milled one.
10 is Rose gum, much softer than sugar but just as attractive.