Thread: What is Dead Finish ?

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

I disagree with that, there is a marked variation in the colour & grain of some of this stuff depending on where it grows.
None of the Archidendropsis basaltica that I collected west of Longreach was red, mostly brown with some pink/purple in it that fades after it has been cut.
The piece with the wild grain came from the same property but was collected on the side of a sandy ridge.
It was the largest solid tree that I have ever cut on the property.
Most of the other large ones have had the middle taken out by termites.
They continue to grow & thrive for years with a hollow centre.
The colour/grain/stripes in the termite damaged ones can be much more pronounced than the undamaged ones.
I still have some of that one with the wild grain, it is amazing to look at but is getting darker as it ages.

I agree with my quote for different reasons (none related to colour). They chose "Red Lancewood" for good reason

My opinion is the same as that of Qld Forestry* for this species. Local names are very variable, not specific, applied often regionally and can cause confusion to those outside that region. Of course local wood users can call things what they want, its their nature. But standardisation of names beats the bastardisation of names when the purpose of names (and communication) is for clarity, to reduce ambiguity.

Standard Trade Names (even for minor species like this) are taken from Australian Standard AS 2543-1983.
Trade names apply to "differentiate then from local names”. The usage of local names (like "dead finish”) “should be discouraged, because the same local name is often applied to two or more species which may have markedly dissimilar wood properties and different trade names”. (That's why I chose "dead finish" as a local name to discuss in this post and offer the standard trade name, local names and botanical names.)

* Tech Pamphlet No 2
QUEENSLAND TIMBERS … their Nomenclature, Density and Lyctid susceptibility (Dept of Forestry Queensland)

Now to your comments about colour in Achidendropsis basaltica. I agree with all the stuff you mentioned about its colour variations, how it generally bleaches with light and age etc. I've cut it often enough to witness such variations as well.