Thread: After my trip to Tassie - I can never use Radiata again!!!

My cats, being Pyromaniacs part time are trained to destroy Crapiata the second they smell it entering the street. Heaven help me if any is found in the workshop. All the other timbers suddenly begin to warp and bow.

Rob

Unfair comment!
Radiata is excellent, split with a hatchet, for getting the tile fire started in winter.

Nathan,
you spent time on your honeymoon poking around timber yards and sawmills and picking up timber?:confused: Congratulations, you've obviously married an understanding and tolerant woman, you've got yourself a keeper there!

radiata is handy for making on the fly jigs, holdowns etc etc. I always have a few bits of 4x2 laying around. never use it in a project though

What's wrong with crapiata. I make my oars out of the stuff and they look great and work even better. Amazing really (didn't want to stuff with expensive stuff the first time). Amazingly flexible too, having seen my son get an oar stuck in the mud (I'll kill 'im).

It's hard finding bits with no knots in the working area, but it's got its place in the world ... and I'm guessing that isn't that fine, french polished dining table you're about to make.

Richard

G'Day Nathan

I'm going to go against the grain here (pun indended) and say I love the stuff!

There's no question that there are much more durable and attractive timbers out there but if it hadn't been for Radiata the cost involved with most of my projects to date would have been too high to justify the effort. All my projects have filled a practical requirement (mainly furniture) and I justified building something because:

1. I could design something more suitable than I could buy.
2. I could build it cheaper than I could buy it.
3. I could use the project to justify the purchase of more/better tools (lets just keep that last one between you and I )

I've built 2 entertainment units, a large wall unit, my daughters cabin bed and a bunch of other things out of Radiata. They all still look great.

I'd hate to put off a new woodworker from getting into the hobby or starting a project simply because they thought that Radiata (probably the cheapest and most available timber) wasn't acceptable for building anything.

Radiata Rocks!

regards

Manix

The best use for crapiata is stopping the roof from sitting on the stumps.

BUT, provided you use good quality timber and not the crap from Bunnies, then it's possible to make decent furniture from it. Not exactly high-end gear, but sufficient to keep bums & dishes off the floor.

Although I have seen some bloody nice book-matched pieces from a mates' shed! I also have some nice 90x45 birds-eyed pine studs that I got from the "leftovers pile" at Bunnies for $2 per 2m lengths! I think it'll look brilliant cut into veneers and used for inlay work... (yet another of my "round tuit" jobs. )

I won't be discarding radiata entirely... its just that seeing these timbers first hand opened my eyes up to all the beauty that is out there - sounds extremely silly I know. But I'm new to this and I guess (with the cost of a wedding!) radiata was the least expensive for me.

Originally Posted by I_wanna_Shed

Just got back from 2.5 weeks in Tassie for our honeymoon. Beautiful part of the world all down there, could easily move there I think. But most importantly, I (being the driver ), called in at every sawmill and timber related place we went past.

I'm embarrassed to say that my works so far have been with Radiata and Pacific Maple - I hadn't been exposed to other timbers before. But after seeing just a few of the Tassie timbers, I can see what I've been missing out on. From various mills and stalls, I picked up some Huon (thats a must!), Black Sassy (which I absolutely love), King Billy, Myrtle, Blackwood, Celery Top Pine, and some Tassie Oak. Not a great deal, but enough to fill up a Commodore's boot and some of the back seat. Nearly had to courier some of our luggage home!

My first projects will be just a few clocks for Chrissy presents once the hardware arrives on Monday or Tuesday.

I also bought 2 Huon pine trees in pots. They are about 80mm tall and a few mm wide... so with a growth rate not exceeding 1mm a year, I may be able to make some lovely Huon toothpicks in 20 years time.

Cheers,
Nathan.

Sorry, you cannot have a rant like that without providing any evidence.

You must provide pics of the stolen treasure, yarr!Aye, else it is just a drunken lily-livered landlubbers fairytale

Originally Posted by martrix

Sorry, you cannot have a rant like that without providing any evidence.
You must provide pics of the stolen treasure, yarr!Aye, else it is just a drunken lily-livered landlubbers fairytale

Like I said, its not much, but all we could fit in the car. Various types and sizes, including offcuts which some places gave away! Enough to get me going anyway

Great score!

Now you do realize that IF you hadnt got the commode-door and IF you had got a FORD F100 you could have QUADRUPLED that score in one shot dont you?

See many of yous commode-door lovers hang poop on Fords but you gotta give Ford credit they did create the F100 just for us woodbutchers!

But well done mate... oh and good score on the sheila too! Mine would have proxisms of dire consiqueses if I tried that with her in the car :eek:

Oh and although I dont use it (Ive got way too much other timber to be bothered with it) Crapiata has its uses... Kemeko puts it to some wonderful uses and the results are quite stunning

Oh and her bloody highness is on a "Lets sellup and move" trip again... and presently has Tassy in her sights... damn shes a right worry that wee sheila of mine