Thread: Any good for cabinet making

The Australian Timber buyers guide is one of many books that will give some information about using Australian Timbers.

Look at the website below for further information.

http://www.skillspublish.com.au/

I hope you have tons of time on your hands because after finding a suitable tree and dropping it, you will need to mill the log and then season it. Seasoning it yourself in the open air can take several years depending on the thickness and the species.

You can get it seasoned commercially which takes a fraction of the time but the cost is higher. Some timber mills will only take relatively large quantities for seasoning but speak to your local mills.

There are also books on identifying Australian trees which you may need.

Better get out there now and start milling. Good luck it is rewarding but time consuming.

Have you thought about joining a Woodwork club in your area and speaking to people in your area who have been there and done that.

- Wood Borer

Woodborer,
Thanks for that, I'll have a look at that book.
I was looking at the green trees to put away for future use, but for something to use a bit sooner I was looking at a stand of trees down the back that were poisoned about 5-6 years ago and are pretty well dried out. I was going to see if I could find some about 12" in dia that if I split in half would give me 6" and if I cut them 6' long I figured they would be a size that I could split into boards on the table saw even if I had to finish of the wider pieces with the jigsaw, that would give me some free wood to learn on.
That was my plan, but my plans often have a habit of ending up in the bin.
As for the woodworking club, as far as I know there aren't any out here unless I went over to the coast which is a three hour drive.
Thanks again
Wayne

Waco,

The 12 in trees that have been left standing for 5 or 6 years will still have a very high moisture content - too high for cabinet work.

A rule of thumb I have heard from people who season their own timber is to allow a year for every inch of thickness but this rule runs amok with really thick pieces like 12 inches thick in that some people say it is difficult to dry it out altogether.

Timber with a high moisture content will move and shrink after you have made your piece which means it may crack, twist and otherwise become distorted.

Gluing wood with high moiture content can be also be a problem and some native timbers are difficult to glue using more common glues. All of them can apparently be glued but selecting the right glue is important.

There is a book called "Wood in Australia, Types, properties and uses" by Keith R.Bootle published by McGraw Hill 1985. This book is about $90.00 but I am sure you could borrow it from a library.

The book heavy reading in some parts but is an excellent reference book on Australian Timber how timber is milled and seasoned, glues, uses for different types of Australian timber etc. If you lived in Melbourne you could drop around and check out this book.

Waco, I am no expert on this subject but I am seasoning some Bulloke in my back yard and other bits and pieces and for this reason I have read up and listened to a lot of people on the subject and I am repeating the little bit that I know.

I am sure others who use this website can add much more than me.


Good luck,

Wood Borer

Woodborer,
Thanks again, as I said I tend to come up with bright ideas that tend to end up not being so bright, looks like I'll have to start buying wood (damn) , mind you if I do find any silky oak or rosewood out there I might still split some up into 2" slabs and store them in his machinery shed for the future when I actualy do learn what I'm doing.
Catch Ya
Wayne

Waco,

I hope I haven't made you go cold on the subject because that was not my intention.

It is important to follow up your ideas, I reckon you should mill some of that timber now, buy or scrounge some new or reclaimed timber and use it to hone your skills. By the time you have done this, the good timber will be seasoned and you will be on your way to some really great things.

Don't forget to put a bit away each year so you don't run into these delays again.

Try and get your hands on those books.


- Wood Borer

Waco, another book that is serious in it's content in providing all manner of timber properties/usages and applications on all Australian/exotic timbers is "Wood in Australia" by Keith R Bootle ISBN 0 07 451047 9 McGraw-Hill Book Company ..Sydney.
I have found this book invaluable over time and consider it's purchase well worth the money spent...but hey check your library they may have it!
Cheers

woodborer, Johnno
Thanks for the info guys, I'll see what I can do about digging up the books you have mentioned as they sound like the way to go.

Wayne