timber sample collection

[reeves]

HI ya'all am really enjoying this timber swapping thread.

I have been compiling a sample collection for a while, have over 100 species and growing.
the samples are in the standard wood collectors society sizes of around 6 long x3 wide x1/2 inch thick, thats about 15 cm x 8 cm x 1 cm.

There a re few species i am looking for...

lignum vitiae
turpentine
hakea
ghost gum
ironwood
manna gum
purple gidgee
black mulga
native olive
queensland kauri
tee tri

tassie timbers

hozizontal scrub
leatherwood
golden sassafras
waratah
tassie sheok
musk
tee tree
banksia
native cherry

if anyone has these i am happy to swap from anything i have to a similar weight..
any help would be appreciated

i a can email u my list just PM me..

thanks
john

[Cliff Rogers]

queensland kauri
AKA
Queensland Kauri Pine
Kauri Pine
Kauri

There are 3 different species.

Kauri Agathis atropurpurea
Kauri Agathis microstachya
Kauri Agathis robusta

I have some but it had already been cut down so I don't know which one it is.
It also has some spalt in it in places.

[rsser]

Wish I'd read this this morning John; could have added some Hakea to the parcels of NIP that went off today.

Anyway, I'll check the bank for the size you want. The stuff is hellish hard to dry in any size without cracking.

[Ironwood]

I could send you some Cooktown Ironwood if that the one your after.

[journeyman Mick]

Reeves,
what "ti tree" do you want? I've got some Melaleuca Leucadendron. The stuff they get the oil from is Melaleuca Alternifolia but it's only a shrubby little thing (AFAIK)

Mick

[reeves]

Wish I'd read this this morning John; could have added some Hakea to the parcels of NIP that went off today.

Anyway, I'll check the bank for the size you want. The stuff is hellish hard to dry in any size without cracking.

hey thats cool rsser i appreciate the trade on the NIP, we can get to the hakea later, i may be able to find some up this way.

Cliff, ironwood, Mick, thanks for the response, Cliff,. all 3 species owuld probably be good for the collection tho its up to u what u wanna trade,. Mick what latin name does yr ironwood have ?

Any pics would be appreciated and please let me know what u may be interested in trading.

thanks
john

[journeyman Mick]

Reeves,
not collecting timber samples (yet :D ), may happen in the future. PM me your address (and required sizes) if you want it.

Mick

[reeves]

Reeves,
not collecting timber samples (yet :D ), may happen in the future.
Mick

yes i can see it coming on Mick. What happened for me is that i sitting around one day looking at the various chunks of wood i have collected and realized i didnt really know exactly what each wood was, most of them but not all and i decided to make some sample sizes so i could identify them and also have them easily access accessible, i figured i had about 30 different species at hand.

I checked with the wood collectors society and found that standard sample sizing is 6X3X1 and started cutting some pieces and finishing them, oil one side, bare the other so u can see both the finished look and naked wood. After a while i realised i had over 70 different species and some need need multiple samples for plain, figured or burl versions of the same wood. Some locals like Andy mac donated some other species and now my maple collection is about 100 species. I hadnt done much iwth it for a while so i have now decided to try and beef it up a but by collecting some species i dont yet have.

I can see this kind of thing becoming quite obsessive but have so far resisted getting 'too' far into it. I have been trying to keep it based around wood that is actually useful to wood workers but there heaps of other species that just have interesting wood or even plain boring wood that represents a local tree. Its the kind of project that has no end i guess.

I have found the exercise really useful for a number of things..
1) just collating and getting the latin names right for the woods i have
2)learning about the properties of various woods
3)choosing woods for projects based on color and consistency
4)great talking point when other woodies come over...!
5)very good for non woodies, can take some time to look through them all
6)general education value, broadening my wood knowledge and anyone elses who looks thorugh the collection
7)'very' useful for wood ID purposes, have been able to identify several species that people dunno what they are by having a verified sample to compare, can solve many arguements
8) just plain intriuging, at the last Brissie wood show i spent a 'lot' of time hanging out at the wood collectors stand and the HIghfields show...having wood i samples allows easy browsing and comparing, can go on for hours...i have discovered that the most figured wood in Oz is the Mallee root or burl, the hardest is most likley the black oak or Belah but many are close
9) the exercise just increases overall wood awareness, consumes hours and exercies the mind..
10)gives new ways to annoy SWMBO, new bedroom converstation " can you rub my feet?" to woody husband sitting there going through his box of samples..er yes just let me know if you think the white and dark rosewood samples are both dysloxylum frasernium, they smell the same but the bark and color are very different...ok the feet er sorry...;-)

With a few more samples <?> i hope to compile data and scan the samples to produce an ebook/pdf of useful aussie timbers and their properties this may take a while yet but i figure i can use my collection in a useful manner

cheeeers
john

[TTIT]

I wasn't aware of the 'standard sample' bit and started turning 'eggs' from each of my timbers because the shape shows off all aspects of the grain - didn't realise just how many I had! :B Currently 66 (pictures a bit old) and I still have about another dozen or so I haven't turned yet.
Wouldn't mind doing some trading - PM comin' at ya' with the list so far.

[Cliff Rogers]

A bloke called Peter Foxwell in Townsville has the best collection of turned eggs I have ever seen.

[reeves]

hey cool eggs mate, thanks for the pic i like how they show the grain i have turned a few but for practical purposes (putting name stickers on them etc) i keep the samples in rectangular form

check out

http://www.woodcollectors.org/

cheeeeeeers
john

[Old Croc]

Hey Cliffie, Peter has now retired so you can imagine how the collection will grow with that extra time available to him,
coming up soon to get a load of macadamia, and lychee timber and I hope to catch up with you,
regards
richard.

[Cliff Rogers]

I'm back, phones & internet have been off for a week, what did I miss? :?

Richard, I'll PM you my details.

John, your Kauri Pine was sliced up last night & will be in the mail tomorrow. :2tsup:

[reeves]

Just wanna say many thanks to those of you who have contributed some samples via sending and trading. My sample collection has increased by over 20 species and your response is very much appreciated.

Cheeers for that guys...!

Am still looking for some lignum vitae and turpentine...


cheeeeers
john

[Cliff Rogers]

Just wanna say many thanks to those of you who have contributed some ...Am still looking for some lignum vitae and turpentine......
Somebody mentioned cutting down a turpentine in the last couple of days, try a search.

[MikeT]

Mike, i am look for a piece of turpentine, 6 inch long by 3 inch wide by 1 inch deep for my sample collection.

Any chance u might send me one or swap for a pice or something i have like some rose sheok or rose mahogany..

check the timber swap thread for my post..

thanks
john

G'day John,

Though I'd reply here - hope that's OK.

At the moment the only piece of turpentine I have is about 12m long and 300mm wide and sitting on my pergola. Hence it's also green. I'm still not sure if I'll get it milled and are thinking it may not be worth it - though I will keep a few pieces and can put one aside for you. I didn't think turpentine would be that hard to get a hold of. Certainly our house is surrounded by them and I know it was a very popular jetty/pier timber but maybe most of the good stuff has been milled and I am a long way south.

Personally I'm a wannabee woody and are just a renovator at the mo. But, as it turns out, one of the projects I've been thinking of recently is a coffee table with lots of different species types in it.

Cheers,
mike

[reeves]

ok thanks for the comment Mike, if u get some pieces at some stage i happy to add a bit to my collection.

For my sample collection I am pretty much reliant of what species i can find locally or what samples people have sent me, just havent come across any turpentine yet.

cheeeeeers
john

[Bob Whitworth]

I saw with interest that you require a sample of Native Olive. It is one of the rainforest trees that I grow on my farm although only in very small quantities. It is a wood that is off white but it is a very dense wood and is probably durable. This makes it an unusual wood from the rainforest. I have cut the occasional tree and I do have a few samples of it if you are still interested.

I also have some native Lignum Vitae which I suspect that you are talking about. This is a much more difficult wood to come by as the tree does not regenerate at all. It is also a durable wood and was used for fence posts and also the old stumps of it still remain as the other rainforest trees have rotted away. I have cut one of these and I probably have some samples of this as well. I might even know where there are a few dead standing trees as well.

If you are interested, and want to discuss this further, you are welcome to contact me.

[reeves]

thanks Bob , am interested in some lignum, have PMed you..

cheeeers
john

[reeves]

Just got this reply from Vernon Bunn, we had a very good swap.

G'day John,

Finished turning your samples last night with the exception of the myrtle burl - can't bring myself to blow it on an egg yet when there could be enough in it for a small fancy lidded pot. The biggest surprise of the bunch was the Paulownia - quite workable with some very interesting figure/quilting (to the left of the purpleheart). That Rose Sheoak is something special too isn't it! Lovely colour. Managed to get around the grain direction problem on the Purpleheart, Blackwood and Bloodwood OK - made for an interesting variance in the collection and tested my skills a little. Thanks again for the swap - now to make a start on the stuff I found at Dad's place!


Cheers

Vern

[woodnstuff]

Wonky Woodturner

If you get that Ebook together I would like to be the first to own a copy. so put my contact details to one side for that event.
You might find when people read my reply you'll be getting a lot more contact details to put to the side (make another book. ha ha !)
I have a shed full of wood I can't put a name on or remember where I got it from. it's not really a collection, it's just there waiting to become something and probably by the time it does, wood will have the same value as gold because no one will let us cut down a tree.
Cheers Woodnstuff [email protected]

[reeves]

hey thanks for thr encouragement Baza I will certainly put you on the list.
At the moment the PDF project is on the backburner a bit, just busy with a few other things but I have been collecting some new samples and updating my databse list. Please find attached the current listing.

There is still a fair bit of work do, getting good scans, identifying some samples I am not sure of, compiling ID advice, getting some more technical details on each species and focusing the eventual PDF of species that woodworks generally use and are likely to come across.

Please LMK of any expectation you might have of the eventual PDF docuemnt and i will try and include them..

regards
john