Good places for timber in Sydney

[mkcl]

Hi guys,

I'm just starting out with woodworking, and have been getting most of my timber from (don't laugh!) my local Bunnings. I've been making fairly simple stuff, starting out with pine, and then gradually moving on to Tassie Oak. However, the selection at Bunnings isn't exactly the best (all the best stuff disappears pretty quickly, leaving a whole lot of warped or damaged boards that no one wants to buy), so I'm now hunting for a good timber yard in the Carlingford area.

After lurking for quite a while, I've noticed places like Trend get mentioned quite often, but I don't really want exotic timbers--just the everyday stuff, and at a good price. I've also lurked on rec.woodworking for ages, but almost everything there is US-oriented, which doesn't help much.

One other thing ... I'm thinking of making a display cabinet. I'm tossing up between veneered MDF/particleboard and plywood, but don't really know the pros and cons well enough to make an informed decision. If I were to choose ply, I'd need to get marine grade, AFAICS, to get AA faces that would look good with the clear finish I intend to use. However, it's noticeably more expensive, so I don't want to use it unless the result will be commensurately better. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Michael.

[Red neck]

Michael,

Bought a book titled “Building Fine Furniture” by G. William Scherer, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York ISBN 0-8069-8712-X. He deals with plywood construction using quality timber and ‘case work construction’. Similar furniture was produced here back in the fifties or earlier, before the advent of particleboard and the ensuing ‘sidewalk furniture’ you see awaiting collection by local councils.

You don’t need marine grade ply. Brimsply http://www.brims.com.au/brimsply.htm is a quality plywood available in a multitude of species. Match the casework frames to the ply and the resulting cabinets are very stable and less expensive than solid timber. The results are considerably lighter than particleboard. Brims will supply that too.

The projects that Scherer includes in his book are both satisfying to build and pleasing as finished products. Adaptation of his designs and methods opens further avenues.


RN

[DarrylF]

I've built a bunch of stuff with a combination of Jarrah veneered MDF and solid Jarrah from Bunnies. Managed to produce some nice stuff - though like you I find it a pain in the ass to get decent, straight Jarrah from Bunnies.

Took my first trip to Trend last weekend, mostly for turning blanks (got myself a lathe a few weeks ago). They had a good range of exotic timber in stock, but also a good range of the more reasonably priced stuff for cabinet work. Of course you need a thicknesser & probably jointer, but it's worth it I think.

I'm told Anagote are also good. Both are worth a visit I'm sure. Only other suggestion I have is to hit the Yellow Pages and then hit the phone. For veneered MDF & ply find yourself a good local outfit that supplies cabinet shops - preferably one that will cut to size unless of course you can handle full sheets. My local guy cuts most of what I buy to 1200x600mm for me at no extra.

[mkcl]

Thanks for all the useful info! Between rec.woodworking and this bulletin board, the number of knowledgeable people around is amazing!


I might try hunting some local libraries for the book. I'll probably be doing a fair amount of reading before I start building my display cabinet--I've got a few other things higher up on the list of things to make, so I won't be starting for a while.

Didn't know about the Brim's ply. It certainly looks like a very interesting product, but the price tags are a bit scary. Guess it's time to start saving up!


My question about ply versus particleboard/MDF was more to do with the ease of working with the various materials. Weight is obviously one relevant aspect, but what about the ease of making nice cuts? (I've read about using masking tape to reduce chip-out on particleboard, but does that totally eliminate the problem, or just reduce it?) Or should I plan to cut then route all my edges with a straight bit if I want really nice edges?

As for jointing and thicknessing my own timber--I can only dream about that. No suitable space, wiring, money or noise-tolerant neighbours. Maybe some day!


I've also heard Anagote mentioned, but haven't been there yet. I was hunting for some DAR blackbutt (for something meant to live outdoors) and my local timber yard suggested them. My problem is that most timber yards tend to be open when I'm at work; the ones that do open on the weekends typically open for Saturday morning only, and ... they're all miles from where I live. Ah well ... not much I can do about that.

WRT the idea of getting the boards cut prior to transport: do most places use a fine enough blade that I don't need to cut again, or will I have to get it cut slightly over-sized, and then trim it to produce a good quality edge? (As you may have guessed, I've never bought large panel products before.)

Thanks again,
Michael.

[growl]

Michael,

For your blackbutt, try Rozelle Recycled Timber. They have lots and lots of wide floor boards and bigger sections. I have found the staff helpful as well. Open weekends too.

I made a long bench (4.5m) from this timber edge joined and it looks pretty good.

Give them a try. Link as below.
http://www.architech.com.au/rozelle/

growl

[mkcl]

Hi Growl,

Just took a look at that web site, and it seems like they might have what I'm after. Thanks for the link. Incidentally, it appears that http://www.ironwood.com.au/ is the same company.

Michael.

[Bruce101]

Carba-Tec at Auburn also have a fair selection of timber blanks, and seem to be a reasonable price.
Happy turning.
Bruce

[Bodgy]

Bruce, check the date. The guy could well be dead by now.

[rosewood]

Mkcl.
You are right about the wealth of knowledge on this site and the ease of which members are happy to help.
Experience is a pretty ordinary thing sometimes if it is not shared.
As far as the machining of your own timber and issues with noise and space.
The best thing i could suggest is find yourself a local woodworkers club.
Most of these places have machinery and regular meeting times which i am sure would be available to your busy schedule.
Hands on learning and the passing on of valuable experience usually goes hand in hand with clubs.

A great hobby come passtime and all the best with your future endeavours.

[Juffy]

You're a year too early. This long-expired thread wasn't due to be randomly bumped until 14th of July 2010.

[Wongdai]

you're a year too early. This long-expired thread wasn't due to be randomly bumped until 14th of july 2010.

rofl!

[two40]

You're a year too early. This long-expired thread wasn't due to be randomly bumped until 14th of July 2010.

Must be that time again.


So ahh, where do you get your hardwood from in Sydney?

[dai sensei]

Must be that time again.

No it's not