Thread: What does Illawarra Flame Tree timber look like ?

I would imagine like many of the Brachychiton spp it would be a ring porous species and thus have low-ish density and very high water content. This site claims it was used for shingles and fenceposts in the past. It might have some interesting properties.

I had a piece here and found it to be quite fibrous. Also soaked up water like a sponge.

The best info I have is:
Air dried weight: 400kg /m3
Properties: Soft, light, coarse and open-textured. Somewhat wooly-fibred but dresses well. Durable in fully protected situations
Uses: Mouldings, model-making, packing shavings, non-structural applications. Bark fibre for aboriginal artifacts.

Source: Peter Richards, Rainforest Woods of Eastern Australia

With a name like that it should be gorgeus

ta.

I suspect the Flame tree would be much the same as Kurrajong which is also a brachychiton. Check it out on my website here...
Kurrajong

thanks TTIT. nice description. love your stuff too. Like that bowl in prickly acacia especially.

makes sense. Its been felled and had a look at it the other day and it looked spongy like said. Reminded me of what I saw when I cut down a pawpaw tree. soft crap. think I might leave it aloone.

Jake, if its the same species as the ones here in Townsville, you may be out of luck. I cut up a huge one several years ago into 105 mm slabs, and when I went to grab a piece to do a bowl, all I had left was a fibrous shell and 2 tonnes of Lyctus Borer dust,
Regards,
Crocy.

thanks mate.

I made a box using spalted flame tree timber as the lid. Very soft timber and brittle on the edges. Planes well . Looks great when spalted but no idea what it looks like as a plain timber.

I have used it as box lids. This is spalted and it looks fantastic. Is a soft timber but planes well without any tear out.

Hi Jake

Bootles ascribes Brachychiton acerifolius with the common name Kurrajong flame tree. Here is his specification:

Flame Tree.jpg


He gives it a hardness measure of 1.3 kN which is extremely soft. By comparison Australian plantation radiata pine is 3.3 kN.

Graeme, this thread was started (& pretty well concluded) 12 years ago. Jake hasn't posted on the forum for years so is unlikely to read your reply....

Cheers,
Ian

Thanks, Ian, I missed the dates !