Thread: All of you will understand this...

hope english customs dept are easier than our officiaals

Yes, I told him that if he encountered a customs official into woodwork he might lose it all. He was philosophical about it. I suspect with Europe so close and that border being so porous there is lots of stuff that comes and goes.

I lived in Marrickville for over 20yrs and never knew it was there, now I live 250 k's away

I remember there was a shop called rare timbers (I think)in a street off Carrington rd to the east,

was a bit scary pricewise, they used to sell in 100mm increments, they had ebony and a lot of others I've never heard of

Originally Posted by Hodgo

I lived in Marrickville for over 20yrs and never knew it was there, now I live 250 k's away

I remember there was a shop called rare timbers (I think)in a street off Carrington rd to the east,

was a bit scary pricewise, they used to sell in 100mm increments, they had ebony and a lot of others I've never heard of

That's them. In Renwick Street east of Carrington.

Anagote used to be around the corner from me when I lived in Annandale in the 80s. I moved to Marrickville in 2002 and found myself in the same street as them. So I was always destined to take an interest in wood. They have an offcuts table and I often find something there I can use.

Yep, they have some expensive stuff. Saw some Bubinga there last week. Boy, is that stuff dense and heavy. Didn't buy it, but I might get some.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

hope english customs dept are easier than our officiaals

I've taken timber into Australia with no issues. As long as it is machined, has no bark, no bore holes, etc, customs is typically fine with it.

Must admit I was nicely pleased with some of the nice wood here when I moved from the UK but it works both ways. I now miss some of the wood they have there. In general while not quite as good looking a ours most of their woods are quite easy to work. They think European oak is hard.
Regards
John

I don't know about the UK, but most of the timbers I've come across for sale in Canada are rather... bland. Pick any colour you like, so long as it's yellow.

However, some of the stuff they consider inferior is bloody gorgeous. I bought a couple of sticks of the most amazingly figured & birds-eyed maple I've ever seen for only a coupla bucks all up. Enough to make several jewellery boxes.

It was in the discard bin...

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I don't know about the UK, but most of the timbers I've come across for sale in Canada are rather... bland. Pick any colour you like, so long as it's yellow.

However, some of the stuff they consider inferior is bloody gorgeous. I bought a couple of sticks of the most amazingly figured & birds-eyed maple I've ever seen for only a coupla bucks all up. Enough to make several jewellery boxes.

It was in the discard bin...

You clearly went to the wrong lumber yard... Just to name a few: cherry, pear, holly, yew, yellow cedar, red cedar, fir, spruce, black walnut, arbutus, garry oak...

Originally Posted by scottbr

We have an Airbnb on top of my wife's ceramics studio and right now we have an English couple staying there for a month - they have a daughter living locally.
When they arrived, we had a chat and Roger told me he likes to do a bit of woodwork. His jaw fell open when I took him out to my shed.
Our local timbers are unlike the 'boring' ones he gets at home and he loved them.
Roger brought a suitcase of stuff over for his daughter and guess what is going home to London in that suitcase.
Most of these are offcuts that I gave him, but the bit he is holding is Huon. I showed him a few bits I had and told him about it.
I live in the same street as Anagote, Sydney's special timber seller: Anagote Timbers, Marrickville | Timber Sydney and I wander down every week or two. I took Roger with me one time and left him there. He came home with this $200 piece of Huon.
Sure, the Opera House and harbour and beaches are okay, but I think Roger was most excited about that piece of Huon he bought


Roger.jpg.

No way in hell he's getting them into the UK.

Many a few decades ago when I lived in Canada and the boarders were far more relaxed I went to Porta Vallarta Mexico for a holiday. One day I grabbed a taxi and said I would like to go to a lumber yard... Somehow he/we understood each other and I ended up at a yard with a lot of woods and ask him to wait. So I try a few words on the yard attendant and we finally find a common word - coco bolo... he says, si, coco bolo... I say YES!! coco bolo... He takes me to a rack full of coco bolo. All of it too long to even contemplate getting it back to Canada. I motion, anything smaller... He points to a piece leaning up against the wall that was 5' x 13" x 4". At this point I think, maybe... Cuontos I ask. He says something I shrug and motion to write it down. He writes out 270... I think USD and ask. No he says, 270 pesos. I nearly fall over. Back in 1997 270 pesos in CDN was 1 to 5, about $55. At this point I think the risk of getting it confiscated is worth it. I drag this slab back to the taxi and we wrestle it into his trunk, and back to the hotel we go. There I phone around all the courier companies trying to find one that will take it back to Canada for me - no joy. None will have anything to do with it. Last resort I phone the airline. And explain what I have and such and their response is (I shiite you not): since we're a new airline and want to please everyone we'll allow you to check it as luggage. SWEET!!!! So I run down to the supermarket and grab rolls of plastic wrap and proceed to encase it in cling film for the trip home. With absolutely no idea how Canada customs is going to react to this slab of wood. Well on arrival they try to x-ray to see if I'm trying to import drugs... After scratching their heads for a few minutes, they thought it must not be hollowed out and full of coke so they let me take it home. Made some nice stuff from that slab. Those days I'm afraid are gone - forever

All that wood on my bench in the photo, and that piece of Huon, is now safely resting on a bench in a shed north of London.

Originally Posted by scottbr

All that wood on my bench in the photo, and that piece of Huon, is now safely resting on a bench in a shed north of London.

Farout. Might think about starting an import business to UK for cocaine. They seem to let anything in...