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  1. #1
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    Jan 2014
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    Default Is this wood any good ?

    My parents have some massive gum trees, I am not sure what species they are and I am completely uncertain as to their possible woodworking / woodturning applications. I have attached some pics so if anyone has any ideas please let me know !

    Cut-ends.jpg Cut.jpg These are the cut logs from a tree they had cut down as the top half has been dead for quite some time, Dad is planning on burning it in his potbelly heater. If it is potentially useful for turning then I will conspire to rescue some of it !
    Full-tree.jpg Tree-base.jpg These are the trees. For scale, I am 6'2" (188cm) and the top point of the dark bark on the base (left side 2nd pic) is about my height. They are BIG trees.

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  3. #2
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    Default

    In NSW they would be Forest Red Gum. In QLD they are known as Blue Gum. Good millable timber.

  4. #3
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    Thanks Rustynail !
    I will try and save a few choice pieces and see what I can do.
    Any idea how it might go on a lathe ? I have heard that Gum usually isnt 1st choice on a lathe as it can tend to split and be a bit dangerous, is this true ?

  5. #4
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    Trees like that make good timber lengths - you might be able to sell them to a portable miller.or at least donate to a local wood working group if they have the equipment like our local group in Cooroy does.

    Or a saw mill may take then down for the timber and it wont cost anything to have them removed
    David L

  6. #5
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    Default

    I am just a simpleton when it comes to wood and the properties of certain timber. If this is free then take as much as you can.

    From my experience when I managed to get some wood from a friend I gave him back the off cuts, crappy pieces that I could not use.

  7. #6
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    To me it has a lot of characteristics of Flooded Gum (E. Grandis). The sock at the bottom of the trunk and the general form and height of the tree, makes me think it is not E.Tereticornis or Blue Gum.

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kidbee View Post
    To me it has a lot of characteristics of Flooded Gum (E. Grandis). The sock at the bottom of the trunk and the general form and height of the tree, makes me think it is not E.Tereticornis or Blue Gum.
    I was thinking much the same as you. The thing that changed my mind was the upward set of the branches. This is a feature of forest red. In some areas it never has a sock, but in others a sock is common. The old fellas used to say,"The higher the sock the sicker the tree." Both trees are very common in our area and just to add further confusion, we have a healthy population of Sydney Blue Gum. With healthy prime trees it can be damn hard to pick one from the other. Around here all three have a sock.

  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim_N View Post
    Thanks Rustynail !
    I will try and save a few choice pieces and see what I can do.
    Any idea how it might go on a lathe ? I have heard that Gum usually isnt 1st choice on a lathe as it can tend to split and be a bit dangerous, is this true ?
    As you can see from other posts, we are now somewhat undecided on the exact specie. Nonetheless, either are good timber. For turning I would prefer the Forest Red as it is denser. Flooded gum is more open in texture and though it machines well with the grain, it tends to tear a bit when worked across the grain, as in turning. This is not to say it cant be turned. It just needs a little more care. To be honest, it would be a waste of good timber to dock it up for turning. Some very nice long material could be recovered out of those logs.

  10. #9
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    Thanks for the info. I might rescue a few of the logs and put them through the band saw and see if I can't get some nice pieces for box making or something similar !

    Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim_N View Post
    Thanks for the info. I might rescue a few of the logs and put them through the band saw and see if I can't get some nice pieces for box making or something similar !
    Tim,

    If you can get a log through your band saw safely, do it. You might have some lovely timber there. I just put a carbide tipped re-saw blade on my band saw and have no trouble cutting 350 mm deep hardwood. A good blade makes all the difference.

    Milling your own timber gives you the advantage of cutting what you want. For instance, it is almost impossible to get 100 X 100 MM sections for table legs and the like. So, I need to mill my own and dry it out properly.

    Have fun!

    John

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