Thread: Mystery Timber SE Queensland

I'll take a wild guess - Brigalow.

Grey Ironbark (Euc Paniculata)

Thanks Kidbee. Possible but I wasn’t sure the bark was right. I was thinking maybe Sally Wattle but again not sure. The timber looks a little like Mesquite but again I’m not sure what the bark of a Mesquite looks like. Open to suggestions.

Originally Posted by Flindersia

I’m usually pretty good with my cabinet timbers but woodturning by nature turns up some oddities that don’t make it to the cabinetmakers bench. I picked up a few pieces of this recently when clearing the estate of a friend of my fathers. Amongst the lot were the usual culprits including camphor, jacaranda etc plus a few nice pieces of Red cedar and whitebeech. All were unmarked but this one has me stumped. I presume some sort of acacia but I may be well off. It cuts well, is a nice reddish brown (a little redder than the photo suggests perhaps) and reasonably dense (maybe 600 – 700 kg/m3 just judging by the weight of a few pieces). Meullary rays aren't pronounced and the trunk was oblong as opposed to round. I thought Black Wattle but it seems darker than the black wattle I’ve seen. I’m not much good at picking all but the most obvious turning timbers via their bark but maybe someone who knowstheir stuff can have a guess. It almost certainly would have come from SE Queensland. Any ideas?

The fact that you can see the medullary rays rules out the acacias. I'd go for one of the tulip oaks (eg Argyrodendron spp). The bark looks right also.

Regards, Timboz

The Bark and the timber looks very similar to Red Ash (Alphitonia)...similar density too...that's my guess...MM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just some additional reflections. I’ve worked with Tulip Oak on occasion and know it reasonably well. There are no visible medullary rays in this sample and no ray fleck on the 1/4. In the flesh the timber is noticeably darker than tulip oak as well. I've never used Red Ash but after reading TTIT’s description of Red Ash that has me a little doubtful about that as well. Red ash seems a bit too light and somewhat variable in colour although the bark looks similar as you suggest Chris. As for Grey Ironbark, I’ve seen my fair share of that after laying 200m2 of the stuff as flooring. That’s actually a pretty good call as the timber is really very similar to Grey Ironbark in appearance. The one catch there though is that this stuff is noticeably lower in density. Hence, I’m still more than a little uncertain. I think Sally Wattle is still about as close as I’m going to get and if not that then most likely one of its sibling Acacia’s. Thanks to everyone that has offered help.If anyone out there has any other opinions to share I’d greatly appreciate it.

[QUOTE=MAPLEMAN;1856047]The Bark and the timber looks very similar to Red Ash (Alphitonia)...similar density too...that's my guess...MM[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Flindersia

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just some additional reflections. I’ve worked with Tulip Oak on occasion and know it reasonably well. There are no visible medullary rays in this sample and no ray fleck on the 1/4. In the flesh the timber is noticeably darker than tulip oak as well. I've never used Red Ash but after reading TTIT’s description of Red Ash that has me a little doubtful about that as well. Red ash seems a bit too light and somewhat variable in colour although the bark looks similar as you suggest Chris. As for Grey Ironbark, I’ve seen my fair share of that after laying 200m2 of the stuff as flooring. That’s actually a pretty good call as the timber is really very similar to Grey Ironbark in appearance. The one catch there though is that this stuff is noticeably lower in density. Hence, I’m still more than a little uncertain. I think Sally Wattle is still about as close as I’m going to get and if not that then most likely one of its sibling Acacia’s. Thanks to everyone that has offered help.If anyone out there has any other opinions to share I’d greatly appreciate it.

[QUOTE=MAPLEMAN;1856047]The Bark and the timber looks very similar to Red Ash (Alphitonia)...similar density too...that's my guess...MM

[/QUOTE]Your correct Troy,Red Ash is variable in color,as these pics illustrate.Quite dense all the same.I do have pieces somewhere that do look remarkably similar to your stuff though.Will have a search tomorrow...MM

Originally Posted by Flindersia

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just some additional reflections. I’ve worked with Tulip Oak on occasion and know it reasonably well. There are no visible medullary rays in this sample and no ray fleck on the 1/4. In the flesh the timber is noticeably darker than tulip oak as well. I've never used Red Ash but after reading TTIT’s description of Red Ash that has me a little doubtful about that as well. Red ash seems a bit too light and somewhat variable in colour although the bark looks similar as you suggest Chris. As for Grey Ironbark, I’ve seen my fair share of that after laying 200m2 of the stuff as flooring. That’s actually a pretty good call as the timber is really very similar to Grey Ironbark in appearance. The one catch there though is that this stuff is noticeably lower in density. Hence, I’m still more than a little uncertain. I think Sally Wattle is still about as close as I’m going to get and if not that then most likely one of its sibling Acacia’s. Thanks to everyone that has offered help.If anyone out there has any other opinions to share I’d greatly appreciate it.

[QUOTE=MAPLEMAN;1856047]The Bark and the timber looks very similar to Red Ash (Alphitonia)...similar density too...that's my guess...MM

[/QUOTE]
It's hard without having the stuff in your hot little hand. Sometimes it takes all our senses to determin the specie and even then you can be quite wrong. On closer scrutiny of the pics and reading others comments, I must confess that after 6 eye surgeries, I failed to pick up on the medulary rays. I dutifully withdraw my suggestion of grey ironbark.
I will now go and stand in the corner.

A suggestion: Firewheel Tree, Stenocarpus sinuatus.
Bark looks about right and the pale coffee colour of the timber that makes me think maybe.
But, if so, medullary rays should be visible.

Looks like White Cedar (Melia azederach) to me.