Thread: New Zealand woodworking questions

Tom, there’s a NZ magazine called something like “Shed” that has lots of different types of work, so maybe you can find what you’re after in that.

The Shed Magazine | Where dreams are made real

p.s. I just googled NZ timber suppliers and got several hits. Facebook marketplace??

As far as I am concerned you are more than welcome to post here. I have family in NZ and so I'm always happy to hear about everyday life in the land of the long white cloud.

What's available on Trademe?

Hardwoods in New Zealand are most likely to be all imported. Most NZ natives and commercial species are soft woods. Even the mighty Kauri is actually a softwood. NZ hardwoods tend to be protected. However the two most commonly planted and best performing hardwoods were the predominantly North Island species, puriri (Vitex lucens) and rewarewa (Knightia excelsa). Other hardwoods with well-regarded timber qualities (visual and working) include kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile) and mangeao (Litsea calicaris). In the last 20 years or so there have been some efforts to have commercial plantations of native timbers - even Kauri.

New Zealand has few termites They are rare and kinda passive. A fact to make any Australian woodworker jealous. Technically New Zealand has three species of native termite, but they do not form large colonies and are not considered destructive. It also has less species of borer and less of them than Australia. This might mean there are more costs to import timber into NZ than other countries - not sure.

A quick google search shows me several suppliers of native and exotic timbers in NZ. What most novice woodworkers don't really appreciate is that the small time mills and timber suppliers are generally useless at online marketing and letting you know what they have. You have to pick up the phone and talk to them.

Welcome to the Forum, Tom.

I would like to echo Dave's comments; although the Forum is based in Oz I think most regard it as an Australasian Forum.

May I suggest that you change your address to something more specific than "New Zealand" - a Kiwi might respond and say that you are just up the road from him and he prefers the following six timber suppliers. One never knows.

NZ also has one of the best woodwork schools in the world - The Centre for Fine Woodworking at Nelson at the top end of the South Island. Three of its teachers are amongst my favourite designers and makers - David Upfill-Brown, David Haig and Michael Fortune. Really worth looking at.

Enjoy the Forum!

Welcome don't see any problem with you posting here ( remember ANZAC ) maybe Van will chime in he is a member from across the Tasman. The forum is open to the world just some things are as not relevant
in some places

Hi Tom and welcome!

We have members from all over the world and certainly a fair number from your lovely part of the world.

if you’re a newbie to woodworking or to NZ it might be worthwhile finding a local Men’s Shed where apart from making some good new mates you can get advice on places to buy timber and tools. The NZ site for Men’s Sheds is at Find a shed near you | MENZSHED New Zealand Incorporated

Good to have you on board and I look forward to hearing about your projects. Remember, we LOVE pictures!!

Kind regards,

Brian

Originally Posted by tomres

Hi,

1. Is there a NZ specific woodworking forum that someone could direct me to?

2. Because if there was, I would ask -
a) where can I source some wood in NZ (other than Bunnings or Mitre10)?
b) where might be a good place to get some off cuts for playing around with?
c) Are there saw mills in NZ that might offer some good deals? etc

3. If I was looking for some hardwood in NZ, what should I look for? (I don't know NZ wood species, or what grows here that well - and since I'm starting out, one of my first projects is to build a wooden mallet )

4. Is any of the wood off cuts from a building site OK to use and for what?

Good day and welcome to the forum

1. There is no NZ Specific woodworking forum, I personally use Sawmillcreek of North America for new ideas and here for the experience of other woodwokers/furniture maker
2a. there are several ways you can source timber, Trademe, Facebook Market place, or various timber merchant such as Rosenfeld Kidson (widest range, most $$$), Lumberbank (limited range and more tendency to deal with pallets of timber not pieces), South Pacific timber (deal mostly with online stuff), BBS timber and Timspec, BBS and Timspec I have only used once or twice in the last 10 years.

2b. you can come to my place to collect offcuts if you are in Auckland. although they are 100% untreated pine and some plywood.
2c. yes there are sawmills in North Island, some of them post on Trademe but ususally only 1-2 postings.
3. NZ hardwood are mostly imported.
4. wood off cuts from building site, they are probably treated pine. you can make whatever you like with wood working but I dont think they are desirable for fine woodworking?

Welcome Tom.

Tom are you from the mainland or the island? opps hope you have been in the long white cloud long enough to know that rivalry.
Perhaps adding north or south or Stewart as well as New Zealand.

Your a lucky bugga living there. I will be back toot sweat when the wife, the 3 kids and the grandkids are all passed away. I get homesick just talking about it.
I officially retire (4th time) July '24 and head back home and then spend 3 months tramping southern alps.

Try this link.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?m...2594827&page=4

Hi Tom. I'm in Rapaura near Blenheim, and post here occasionally. It's a fantastic source of knowledge and information and the lads have helped me out of some fixes.

As for hardwood, it's a blooming tragedy that in a country with so much forest it is difficult to obtain even remotely exotic timber. I can usually find enough used rimu for my projects, but a lot of that is sourced via the Blenheim Menz Shed. I put wanted ads on Neighbourly or Facebook and usually get a few responses. I get a small amount of used oak from old furniture that is donated to us, and very occasionally mahogany.

I don't know where you are, but Menz Sheds are a fantastic resource for NZ woodworkers. The Blenheim Shed has a joining fee of $50 and $25 a year membership. We have a full range of equipment you can use any time, and that includes a metal shop with lathe, mill, sheet metal machines, and welding.

MENZSHED New Zealand Incorporated

A useful NZ forum is Geekzone. It only has one DIY forum, but there was an ask about hardwoods only last week. You'll find more local knowledge there than on this forum, but nothing like the detail. It's a _very_ useful resource though. There are two sources listed in that thread. One in Wellington and the other Queen Charlotte Drive in the Marlborough Sounds. I have not used either.

WTB Short Lengths of Exotic Timber (geekzone.co.nz)

It feels like good deals from saw mills are a thing of the past with today's shocking timber prices. That's if you can even get the timber you need. I had a 40 metre fence built around our property recently, and the builder was lucky to get what he needed, and this was plain old radiata.

You would almost certainly find enough hardwood offcuts to build a mallet if you join a Menz Shed. Some require a small donation, but a tiny fraction of what you'd pay at Bunnings. I also belong to the Marlborough Woodworkers Guild, and they have a more extensive collection of interesting timber. Sadly I seldom get time to attend both Menz Shed and the Guild, and I have a pretty decent workshop at home now, so I can't say for sure what species the guild has.

I know you are going to love your new hobby. I came to woodworking as a retired toolmaker, and I do find it frustrating that you can't work to the same tolerances, and even if you do the piece will be a different shape the next time you pick it up. I find that intensely annoying. A tip I picked up from YouTube recently was to wrap your boards in plastic between stages of working on them. That at least gives you a chance of it staying 'reasonably' straight.

If I can help any further, feel free to contact me trevor.dennis AT xtra.co.nz

Welcome! No problem being a kiwi on the forums - I suspect quite a few of us are (or at least were) from NZ. I don't know much about woodwork in NZ though, I've only got into it myself after I moved (originally Christchurch).