And now for something completely different

**John.G** · 3rd March 2014, 09:48 PM

I rather like milling where we are. Sure, now we're primarily a eucalypt mill, but we still cut the rainforest stuff when we can get it. It's good in that it adds a bit of variety... you can only see so many FRG 6x2's before they all look the same, and mostly the rainforest stuff is good to cut (with some very notable exceptions).
There's a lot of trees in the FNQ rainforests, I've never seen an exact number anywhere but chances are it'd be wrong anyway. Some big hills and steep gullys in this country and I'm sure there's more then one species yet to be "discovered". I've heard it said that there are 600 commercially useable species of tree, and while I can't say I've cut more then a quarter of them it'd not be inconceivable. There are 60 different laurel walnuts for a start, and they all go F14.
Course, rainforest milling is a dying business. What's not locked up was mostly cleared for farming years back, and the average log size off whats left is rapidly declining.

Anyway, we cut it when we can get it and unlike a lot of operations we still do the minor species that aren't so well known. Dunno why... we pick up a log here and a log there and never have great volumes of the less well known stuff, and because it's not so well known demand is non existant but... it's a shame to turn something pretty into H3 scantling or batten.

So this would be Terminalia sericocarpa, aka Damson or Sovereign wood, one of a couple we picked up as salvage post Yasi. Good to work, used to be used for joinery, linings, flooring (it'll go F14 seasoned). Nice and easy on the gear and a joy to cut and dress. Grain similar to BSW (Qld Blackwood) on both the radial and tangental faces and just as good to work but done in shades of yellow and gold, hence the sovereign wood name I guess.

IMG_0413.jpg IMG_0412.jpg IMG_0419.jpg

Would have been a shame to turn it into batten huh?

**rwbuild** · 3rd March 2014, 09:52 PM

Yummmmm

**Barterbuilt** · 4th March 2014, 06:41 AM

Battens ?

Not red but still nice !

**artme** · 4th March 2014, 07:29 AM

Gorgeous!!!

Why is that people have a preference for dark timbers?????

**John.G** · 4th March 2014, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by rwbuild

Yummmmm

Actually, to paraphrase Crocodile Dundee.... Tastes like $hit!!!!.
Joys of being a sawmiller... we get a fair bit of dust in our diet so besides being able to recognise species by smell, and burning splinter tests and getting DNA sampling done some we know by taste.

**John.G** · 4th March 2014, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Barterbuilt

Battens ?

Not red but still nice !

We do some pretty paint grade around here. Every billet that could go 4.5 or better went for batten, (a) because it was post Yasi and we were desperately trying to reduce a yard full of logs before the borers did, (b) cause our friends and neighbours really wanted to get roofs back on their houses and (c) because it's F11 GOS, lays straight, and is good to run screws into so it makes a most excellent H3 Hardwood batten and (d) because at $3.30 a linear meter, innoculate and sell next week batten is actually quite profitable compared with holding it back as cabinet timber for years to season.

Sighs at the last one but it's sad but true.

**John.G** · 4th March 2014, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by artme

Gorgeous!!!

Why is that people have a preference for dark timbers?????

People live in boxes of ever shrinking size. Because the boxes are small, the walls are painted light. Because the walls are light, they want dark furniture to contrast it.

Light furnishings and joinery really only get used in boat fitouts and large spaces anymore, though having said that I note from reading "Better house"style books that white kitchens are coming back into style.

**Bob Whitworth** · 9th March 2014, 10:11 PM

John, If you are interested, I do have a 1968 Qld Forestry Department list of the commercial species that were used. It is divided into A, B, C and D classes. I thought from memory that there were about 350 species on the list. I'd have to look deep into my file to find it thought. I cut the occasional rainforest species here but at the moment, I find it hard to find anyone who has any interest in them. Some of them are special woods, there is no doubt.

**John.G** · 10th March 2014, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by Bob Whitworth

John, If you are interested, I do have a 1968 Qld Forestry Department list of the commercial species that were used. It is divided into A, B, C and D classes. I thought from memory that there were about 350 species on the list. I'd have to look deep into my file to find it thought. I cut the occasional rainforest species here but at the moment, I find it hard to find anyone who has any interest in them. Some of them are special woods, there is no doubt.

Bob, I should dearly like a copy of that one day when you've got time. I've got a partial list... basicly just common name species name, minimum DBH but it's far from complete... major, common and local species only. I'd love to lay hands on the old master list that had the three letter code etc on it.

Everyone is interested in them (minor species) I find Bob... but very few are prepared to pay. Costs just as much to mill and kiln etc as the better known stuff though. I think in Australia theres a fair bit of species snobbery. Elsewhere I've been in the world timber value seems to be set more by how it looks (particular pack) then what it is... some of the prettiest timber I've ever seen though has been in lower priced packs labelled "North Queensland Pinks".

**Bob Whitworth** · 10th March 2014, 05:55 PM

John, Yes, I've found it. What I have is actually called, Rules for tree marking for logging and for the silvicultural treatment-north Qld rainforests [March 1968].In it is a list of the commercial species. It is about 10 pages long. It also has the comment that any utilisable species not on the list is to be considered as a class D. It also has a list of cutting limits. Yes, if you like,I could photocopy it and post it to you. Bob

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