Push handle tools

[dai sensei]

A quick and dirty (ie cheap) job for a client. Two tools for inserting seals into some sort of pump. Two of the small size (ie 4 push handles) and one of the large. Client chose handle lengths but not critical. One of his old small ones also in photo. All from scrap Blue Gum that ended up having better grain than I thought. Finished in bees wax and linseed oil mix

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[Bluegum]

Very nice Neil. And yeah the grain looks really nice mate.

[Big A]

Nice timber, Neil.

I wondered to myself "What kind of Blue Gum?". I looked on Wiki and got more than I asked for:

Blue gum is a common name for subspecies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subspecies) or the species (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species) in Eucalyptus globulus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_globulus) complex, and also a number of other species of Eucalyptus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus) in Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia). Confusingly, in Queensland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland) it usually refers to Eucalyptus tereticornis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_tereticornis), which is known elsewhere as forest red gum.


Gippsland blue gum: Eucalyptus pseudoglobulus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_pseudoglobulus) (syn. E. globulus subsp. pseudoglobulus)
Inland blue gum: E. leucoxylon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_leucoxylon)
Large-fruited blue gum: E. leucoxylon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_leucoxylon)
Mountain blue gum: E. cypellocarpa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_cypellocarpa), E. deanei (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_deanei)
Round-leaved blue gum: E. deanei (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_deanei)
South Australian blue gum: E. leucoxylon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_leucoxylon)
Southern blue gum: Eucalyptus bicostata (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_bicostata) (syn. E. globulus subsp. bicostata)
Spotted blue gum: Eucalyptus maidenii (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_maidenii) (syn. E. globulus subsp. maidenii)
Sydney blue gum: E. saligna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_saligna)
Tasmanian blue gum: Eucalyptus globulus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_globulus) (syn. E. globulus subsp. globulus)
Victorian blue gum: Eucalyptus bicostata (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_bicostata)

Other species are sometimes regarded as blue gums such as E. nitens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_nitens), and the Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus notabilis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_notabilis)).

To me, if it is red like those tools, is a Euc and not Ironbark, then it is Red Gum! You might know the difference, being a purveyor of fine timbers, but most of us would not, I suspect.

Alister.

[dai sensei]

HI Alister, yes there are many different "Blue Gums" as it is just a common name used for a number of eucalypts. This one is Eucalyptus tereticornis, Queensland blue gum (also known as the forest red gum) sourced locally.

[artme]

I have known e.,leucoxylyn as white ironbark. some good specimens outside the primary school in Narrendera, NSW>

[Xanthorrhoeas]

It is interesting that Qld local "Blue Gum" aka Forest Red Gum (a more appropriate name really since, while the bark has a bluish sheen in some lights, the timber is quite red) can have that lovely figure. Sydney Blue Gum seems to have a lot of it too. It can be difficult to tell the two timbers apart in finished products.