Thread: Difference between Southern and Northern Silky Oak

Originally Posted by Goggomobile

Hi
I'm a novice so forgive me for a dumb question.

What is the difference between Sothern and Nothern Silky Oak ?

I have alot of what I think is Northern which grows around the SE Qld everywhere.

I think Northern is TOUGHER .. 'Because we breed ' em tough in Qld'.

Randal

Randall,

The majority of Silky Oak that we find growing in Queensland (from roughly Rockhampton south) and Northern NSW, is Southern Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta). Northern Silky Oak (Cardwellia sublimis) is native to the Cardwell area in North Queensland, and is a rain forest tree that doesn't grow very well in SEQ. Southern Silky Oaks in the wild will be found mainly in sub-tropical rain forest, and dry rain forest. In captivity, the Southern Silky Oak seems to grow well pretty much anywhere in SEQ. Southern Silky Oak is frost tolerant.

You'll see Northern Silky Oak growing in people's yards in higher rainfall (and frost free) areas in SEQ (places like Lamington Plateau, Springbrook, Maleny, Blackall Ranges, etc), but the Northern Silky Oaks don't seem to grow anywhere near as large as Souther Silky Oaks in the same areas. I've got five Southern Silky Oaks in my yard - planted about 30 years ago - and all are 600 to 900 mm diameter trunks measured about a meter above the ground, and (rough guess) about 20 to 30 meters tall. I've planted four Northern Silky Oaks seedlings (about a meter high) in the last two years. They seem to grow well for the first summer wet season, but as soon as the dry weather and/or the frosts hit, they die.

As for the difference between the two timbers. I have a small stack of Southern Silky Oak slabs from one of my trees that fell in a storm a few years ago. I also have some Northern Silky Oak boards left over from a project - so I can do a direct comparison. Most of what you read about the two Silky Oaks in the old timber manuals from the early and mid 20th century is that Northern Silky Oak has by far the most figure when quarter sawn, whilst quarter sawn Southern Silky Oak has much less figure. When you physically compare the two timbers side by side, there is quite a bit of difference.

In early 2014, I made a dining table as a gift for a family member, and made it from Northern Silky Oak that I bought from a saw mill near Innisfail when holidaying in FNQ. I selected a bunch of quarter sawn boards and proceeded to make the table top. All went well until I was wiping the first coat of poly onto the top. One board right in the middle of the table top stood like dogs b#lls - different grain pattern (no ray pattern figure) and a lighter colour, but still a general Silky Oak appearance. I'm fairly sure that what happened was that I accidentally mixed a single Southern Silky Oak board in with the Northern Silky Oak in the table top. I ended up using stain to even out the colours, and I don't think anyone has ever noticed the different grain pattern. But it annoys the hell outa me - and no doubt when I sit down at that table for Christmas Dinner on Thursday, I'll see that odd board and be annoyed by it yet again. I've often wondered whether I should have tried to make a feature out of the odd board, instead of trying to disguise it.

Hope that info is useful.

Regards,

Roy

p.s. Just remembered something one of the members of a woodwork club told me. He bought some "Silky Oak" from a major timber company on Brisbane's southside. When he started working with it, he found that he seemed to have two different types of timber. He ended up getting a friend at University of Queensland to have a look at some samples of the two timbers. Turns out that what he had been sold was about 1/3 Northern Silky Oak, and 2/3 South American Lacewood. When he complained to the Timber Company, they showed him the "fine print" in the timber catalogue that stated that timber sold under the trade name "Silky Oak" could be one of four timbers, one of which was South American Lacewood, and the other was an Asian Lacewood of some sort. Finished samples of the South American Lacewood, looked quite nice, and did look similar to Silky Oak, but not similar enough to be used side by side with either type of Silky Oak in a piece of furniture. But when you've paid a premium for Australian Silky Oak, you don't appreciate being given a foreign import, so he ended up getting a refund on the boards he hadn't cut into.

Northern Silky Oak has a pink tinge before finishing but after finishing it goes a nice golden colour. If you can get it quarter sawn it shows the medullary rays which add a perseption of depth to the timber. I have heard that some people are allergic to northern and southern silky oak. I can post some pics of a coffee table that was made of northern silky oak if you want.

Southern Silky on the quarter is just as figured as Northern Silky Oak...MM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

Southern Silky on the quarter is just as figured as Northern Silky Oak...MM

Totally agreee.!!!

South American Lacewood os actually a Cardwellia so is directly related to our northern SO.

Don't know that northern So is any tougher than southern So. Maybe some one can do some tests to substantiate this claim.

Originally Posted by artme

Totally agreee.!!!

South American Lacewood os actually a Cardwellia so is directly related to our northern SO.

Don't know that northern So is any tougher than southern So. Maybe some one can do some tests to substantiate this claim.

Think you'll find Southern Silky is much tougher than its Northern cousin...MM

And Silky Oaks grow well down in NSW too (suburban Newcastle). Have to be the Southern variety I am assuming?

Chris: tougher to cut, tougher to tame, tougher to source (hehe) ?


Craig

Originally Posted by Goggomobile

I think Northern is TOUGHER .. 'Because we breed ' em tough in Qld'.

Despite what I just wrote above, both timbers are QLDers really.
Toughness is a measure of impact resistance or shock resistance, so... (you're on the left, I'm on the right. Damn, you just won't go down!!!)