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Thread: Flindersia
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19th January 2023, 06:26 AM #1Member
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Flindersia
Hi everyone
What is your experience with Queensland Maple (Flindersia Brayleyana) as opposed to Crow's Ash (Flindersia Australis)?
We tested samples from 7 different logs of the former and 3 different logs of the latter (most from different and reliable sources).
(Thanks @Fekit for providing some of these samples!)
We found a significant difference in chatoyance, with F. Brayleyana averaging 24.5 PZC (and never below 20 PZC), and F. Australis averaging <10.
Does this match your experience?
Thank you
Paolo
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19th January 2023 06:26 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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19th January 2023, 09:04 AM #2
Yes! QMP especially the compression grain can be spectacular, second to none in many woodworkers opinion.
It would be better to compare Crows Ash with Flindersia bourjotiana & Flindersia schottiana.
Flindersia bourjotiana - Northern Siver Ash (NSA) can also be quite spectacular, far superior to Flindersia schottiana, commonly known as bumpy ash, cudgerie or (southern) silver ash.
Flindersia pimenteliana, commonly known as Maple silkwood, is another gem.
Our FNQ grown "blackwood" Acacia melanoxylon easily rivals the famed "Tasmanian" Backwood.
As with most timbers, growth habit & age heavily influences timber properties.
Woodworkers in FNQ are blessed with a number of high chatoyance timbers.
How large to you require samples for testing?Mobyturns
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19th January 2023, 10:06 AM #3SENIOR MEMBER
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Flindersia...what a wonderful genus
Species include
Qld Maple
Silkwood
Silver Ash
Silver Silkwood
Crows Ash
Silkwood and Qld Maple my favourites
Crows Ash can be speccy at times too as the pics indicate
The wood is firm in texture and seems to season with little degrade
Log Dog
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19th January 2023, 11:59 AM #4Senior Member
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One of the most striking visual impacts that Australis has, for me at least, is that I reckon it looks like Marble. When you get the crotch area all split up and fill it with black epoxy, absolutely #ing stunning.
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19th January 2023, 12:05 PM #5Senior Member
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Here's a little surrealist sculpture I made using Crows Ash, The Listening Post.
IMG_7817.jpg
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20th January 2023, 02:14 AM #6Member
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Thanks for the info.
We only have one sample from F. Bourjotiana and none from F. Schottiana and F. Pimenteliana; it would be nice to test some. I was surprised by the significant difference in chatoyance between F. Brayleyana and F. Australis, this is very uncommon within a genus.
Actually F. Brayleyana is n.4 for chatoyance on our >200 species list!
The sample size we need is either
At least 40*120*5mm
or
At least 20*20*120mm (pen blank)
or
At least 90*150mm (veneer)
Paolo
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20th January 2023, 07:10 AM #7SENIOR MEMBER
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20th January 2023, 09:07 AM #8
From a furniture-making perspective, "Qld Maple" & "Silkwood" are up there with anything else the world produces, imo. I've had very little experience of Silkwood, but from the little I've had, I would agree with Log Dog that it can be even nicer than Maple. From its density, you'd expect Maple to be a difficult wood to work, but whether straight-grained or spectacularly figured, it's easy to work with hand tools, it saws, chisels & planes very cleanly. Despite the over-the-top figure in this example, it planed easily with no tear-out.
Desk2.jpg
I reckon it's every bit as nice to work with as good old-growth mahogany, and it's one of those woods that is really easy to finish, it responds very quickly to French polish, which is somewhat surprising given its grain is on the coarse side.
Crow's ash does seem like a totally different wood, but that's not unique, there are other genera with even wider variation between species (the Acacias for example). Most of the Crow's ash I've worked with was straight-grained and a pretty bland yellowish colour to begin with. This little table (by Luke Maddux) has mellowed to a lovely caramel with choclate stripes. It takes polish very well too, but imo, it is a bit on the dense side for furniture. (Apologies for the poor pic, taking flash photos of shiny objects is not a good way to get a true representation!):
Lukes table.jpg
It does make the most excellent bench-screws though, threads very crisply & the oily nature of the wood is very fit for purpose...
Crank.jpg
Cheers,IW
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20th January 2023, 10:22 AM #9SENIOR MEMBER
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Maple Silkwood
Absolutely glorious stuff
Ian is correct
World class woods
I reckon our Acacias will take 1st and 2nd place too
Log Dog
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23rd January 2023, 06:28 PM #10Member
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@IanW
Thanks for the info.
That cabinet is absolutely stunning. Congratulations.
And the wood itself is amazing.
I understand why they called it "Maple", even if the curl is much wider on QLD Maple than it is on Euro/American Maple.
@Log Dog
You are right.
1 - Blackwood (by far)
2 - Koa
3 - Bintangor / Kamani
4 - QLD Maple
One day I will maybe get hold of some other acacias...
A. Confusa and A. Implexa seem promising.
What timber are the pictures showing?
Thanks again!
Paolo
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23rd January 2023, 08:31 PM #11SENIOR MEMBER
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23rd January 2023, 09:05 PM #12
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23rd January 2023, 09:36 PM #13
Compering samples or species is extremely subjective. I have examples of Queensland maple that will make your eyes water with envy, at the same time I have examples that could be confused with kauri pine. The same comment applies to most of the flindersia including ifflaiana, also known as Cairns hickory and hickory ash. I consider Qld. maple the premier species to work with.
JimSometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...
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24th January 2023, 04:04 AM #14Member
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Thanks for sharing your experience.
Unlucky finding this stuff in Italy is impossible
@powderpost
This interesting.
We found some species with a lot of variability, but most are well defined. Just two examples:
Koa - always above 18 PZC, samples from 23 different logs
Euro beech - always below 14 PZC, samples from 21 different logs
Another thing is figure, which may or may not be there.
Would you be up for sending any samples? (we pay shipping)
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28th January 2023, 08:19 PM #15SENIOR MEMBER
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Paolo
Here are some Queensland Maple pepper grinder blanks that i sliced up yesterday
Slick timber bursting with chatoyance!
Log Dog
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