Thread: Flindersia

Yes! QMP especially the compression grain can be spectacular, second to none in many woodworkers opinion.

It would be better to compare Crows Ash with Flindersia bourjotiana & Flindersia schottiana.

Flindersia bourjotiana - Northern Siver Ash (NSA) can also be quite spectacular, far superior to Flindersia schottiana, commonly known as bumpy ash, cudgerie or (southern) silver ash.

Flindersia pimenteliana, commonly known as Maple silkwood, is another gem.

Our FNQ grown "blackwood" Acacia melanoxylon easily rivals the famed "Tasmanian" Backwood.

As with most timbers, growth habit & age heavily influences timber properties.

Woodworkers in FNQ are blessed with a number of high chatoyance timbers.

How large to you require samples for testing?

Flindersia...what a wonderful genus
Species include

Qld Maple
Silkwood
Silver Ash
Silver Silkwood
Crows Ash

Silkwood and Qld Maple my favourites
Crows Ash can be speccy at times too as the pics indicate
The wood is firm in texture and seems to season with little degrade

Log Dog

One of the most striking visual impacts that Australis has, for me at least, is that I reckon it looks like Marble. When you get the crotch area all split up and fill it with black epoxy, absolutely #ing stunning.

Here's a little surrealist sculpture I made using Crows Ash, The Listening Post.

IMG_7817.jpg

Thanks for the info.

We only have one sample from F. Bourjotiana and none from F. Schottiana and F. Pimenteliana; it would be nice to test some. I was surprised by the significant difference in chatoyance between F. Brayleyana and F. Australis, this is very uncommon within a genus.
Actually F. Brayleyana is n.4 for chatoyance on our >200 species list!

The sample size we need is either
At least 40*120*5mm
or
At least 20*20*120mm (pen blank)
or
At least 90*150mm (veneer)

Paolo

Originally Posted by chatometry

Thanks for the info.


Actually F. Brayleyana is n.4 for chatoyance on our >200 species list!



Paolo

No surprise here!
Silkwood will be no.3 I'd reckon

Log Dog

From a furniture-making perspective, "Qld Maple" & "Silkwood" are up there with anything else the world produces, imo. I've had very little experience of Silkwood, but from the little I've had, I would agree with Log Dog that it can be even nicer than Maple. From its density, you'd expect Maple to be a difficult wood to work, but whether straight-grained or spectacularly figured, it's easy to work with hand tools, it saws, chisels & planes very cleanly. Despite the over-the-top figure in this example, it planed easily with no tear-out.
Desk2.jpg

I reckon it's every bit as nice to work with as good old-growth mahogany, and it's one of those woods that is really easy to finish, it responds very quickly to French polish, which is somewhat surprising given its grain is on the coarse side.

Crow's ash does seem like a totally different wood, but that's not unique, there are other genera with even wider variation between species (the Acacias for example). Most of the Crow's ash I've worked with was straight-grained and a pretty bland yellowish colour to begin with. This little table (by Luke Maddux) has mellowed to a lovely caramel with choclate stripes. It takes polish very well too, but imo, it is a bit on the dense side for furniture. (Apologies for the poor pic, taking flash photos of shiny objects is not a good way to get a true representation!):
Lukes table.jpg

It does make the most excellent bench-screws though, threads very crisply & the oily nature of the wood is very fit for purpose...
Crank.jpg

Cheers,

Maple Silkwood
Absolutely glorious stuff

Ian is correct
World class woods
I reckon our Acacias will take 1st and 2nd place too

Log Dog

@IanW
Thanks for the info.
That cabinet is absolutely stunning. Congratulations.
And the wood itself is amazing.
I understand why they called it "Maple", even if the curl is much wider on QLD Maple than it is on Euro/American Maple.

@Log Dog
You are right.
1 - Blackwood (by far)
2 - Koa
3 - Bintangor / Kamani
4 - QLD Maple

One day I will maybe get hold of some other acacias...
A. Confusa and A. Implexa seem promising.

What timber are the pictures showing?

Thanks again!
Paolo

Originally Posted by chatometry

@IanW
Thanks for the info.
That cabinet is absolutely stunning. Congratulations.
And the wood itself is amazing.
I understand why they called it "Maple", even if the curl is much wider on QLD Maple than it is on Euro/American Maple.

@Log Dog
You are right.
1 - Blackwood (by far)
2 - Koa
3 - Bintangor / Kamani
4 - QLD Maple

One day I will maybe get hold of some other acacias...
A. Confusa and A. Implexa seem promising.

What timber are the pictures showing?

Thanks again!
Paolo

Pictures are of Maple Silkwood Paolo

Log Dog

Originally Posted by Log Dog

Pictures are of Maple Silkwood Paolo

Log Dog

Maple Silkwood - Flindersia pimenteliana

Compering samples or species is extremely subjective. I have examples of Queensland maple that will make your eyes water with envy, at the same time I have examples that could be confused with kauri pine. The same comment applies to most of the flindersia including ifflaiana, also known as Cairns hickory and hickory ash. I consider Qld. maple the premier species to work with.

Jim

Thanks for sharing your experience.
Unlucky finding this stuff in Italy is impossible

@powderpost
This interesting.
We found some species with a lot of variability, but most are well defined. Just two examples:
Koa - always above 18 PZC, samples from 23 different logs
Euro beech - always below 14 PZC, samples from 21 different logs

Another thing is figure, which may or may not be there.

Would you be up for sending any samples? (we pay shipping)

Paolo
Here are some Queensland Maple pepper grinder blanks that i sliced up yesterday
Slick timber bursting with chatoyance!

Log Dog