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  1. 15th December 2013, 12:00 PM #1
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    spokeshave
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    Default Is Mulga any good to use?

    Hi everybody.

    As the title suggests, i have been fortunate to score some mulga (thats what i have been told it is anyway).

    It was bought down from the Northern Territory (to N.E.Victoria) about 30 years ago as small diameter logs (about 25cm in diameter) and stored under a shed since then. The owner has no use for them and has kindly passed them on to me.

    So....i milled a piece yesterday to see what it looks like and it looks pretty good. Nice deep brown color with very white sap wood. It is quite heavy and aside from a bit of tear-out, planes pretty well too. See pic below.
    My reason for posting is to seek advice on using this stuff. I have access to several logs so would like to make small things with it such as picture frames and small boxes.

    I plan to finish them with poly but am worried about things such as how it will accept a finish, if it is likely to leech anything onto frame backing and general long term stability. Any advice from other people's experience with mulga would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.

    Steven.

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  2. 15th December 2013 12:00 PM # ADS
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  3. 15th December 2013, 12:28 PM #2
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    Good Morning Steven

    I have zero experience with Mulga but Terry Gordon has produced some spectacular hand planes from it. Have a look at:
    HNT Gordon - Specialty A55 TRYING PLANE




    Fair Winds

    Graeme
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  4. 15th December 2013, 08:34 PM #3
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    I've got a bit for box making. From memory, it is one of the hardest woods on the planet (probably why it makes good planes) so you'll need sharp tools.

    So yes, definitely worth using.

    Trav
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  5. 15th December 2013, 09:06 PM #4
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    Steven,
    Nope, no good.
    So if you can pack it all up nicely I'll drive up from melbourne to get rid of it for you as soon as possible.

    (do you think he'll believe me?, I hope so.....)

    Peter
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  6. 16th December 2013, 07:24 AM #5
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    Ive used it for fretboards for instuments, lovely stuff.
    "We must never become callous. When we experience the conflicts ever more deeply we are living in truth. The quiet conscience is an invention of the devil." - Albert Schweizer

    My blog. http://theupanddownblog.blogspot.com
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  7. 16th December 2013, 06:46 PM #6
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    Thanks all.


    I have decided to give it a go and am in the process of making a picture frame. I'll post up a pic when i'm done for you all to see.


    If it turns out well, i plan to grab some more to machine up.


    Steven.
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  8. 16th December 2013, 07:37 PM #7
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    Burns well and produces great coals to cook with. We get it by the trailer load here quite cheaply for that, but nothing of any length that's useful for carpentry etc. Maybe some really small boxes or tool handles perhaps?

    I have gone through my wood pile and pulled out some nice pieces to turn them into something but haven't made anything as yet. Probably won't for a number of years with a new bub having just arrived.
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  9. 16th December 2013, 10:45 PM #8
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    Mulga.

    The word is derived from an aboriginal name for a shield from the tree.
    It is used by aboriginal people for boomerangs, sticks for digging roots, the shafts of spears, nulla nullas and spear ends.

    Following European settlement, mulga has been used for making vases, jewellery boxes, pens, serviette rings, ink stands, candlesticks, walking sticks bowls and musical instruments.
    It is the extraordinarily handsome figuring and hardness of mulga that makes this wood so desirable.

    Acacia aneura (mulga or true mulga)

    The recognised varieties are:




    Then there are the other trees called mulga as well.



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    Cliff.
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  10. 16th December 2013, 11:01 PM #9
    toddbron
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    Hello from Mulga country,

    Mulga is a beautiful timber. It is hard, murder on the chisels but turns up beautifully. The problem with it is that if you have it too thin it will crack along the grain - eg when making pens. 25cm logs are larger than I have seen and the milled timber looks quite light but that is probably due to where it came from.

    Good luck with what you do with it and I look forward to seeing what you do with it.

    Todd


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  11. 16th December 2013, 11:41 PM #10
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    Good for thread chasing on turned boxes.
    anne-maria.
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  12. 17th December 2013, 07:57 PM #11
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    Makes the best paring chisel handles....

    Mulga handles.jpg

    Cheers,
    IW
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  13. 17th December 2013, 09:02 PM #12
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    I've made a hall table that the top is made of Mulga. It is a beautiful wood.
    Visit my website at www.myFineWoodWork.com
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  14. 18th December 2013, 11:17 AM #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by IanW View Post
    Makes the best paring chisel handles....

    Mulga handles.jpg

    Cheers,


    Beautiful tools, Ian. The classic form follows function.

    I note that the handles are subtly larger for the bigger chisels - bet that wasn't an accident.

    Thanks for posting.




    Fair Winds

    Graeme
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