Thread: Messmate vs Tasmanian Oak

I'd say you're spot on...But am happy to be contradicted.
TM

We had specified Messmate (based on colour and durability, as opposed to Tasmanian Oak) for our hardwood floors and were advised that there was a certain cost premium as compared to Vic Ash (the builders default timber). No problem.

You instructed the builder that you were content with the price differential, and then the builder went against your specifications? Whoops, the builder might have to change that order.
Messmate is, as you specified, messmate... not anything else.

no. you are spot on, if you want messmate you get messmate.if you ask for tassi oak you get a variety of alpine ash mountain ash,messmate. if you ask for messmate you should get it

Tas oak is made up of 3 to 4 eucalypts and you shouldnt expect to pay more than the Vic Ash pricing. however as others have said, if you are wanting messmate i think you should get messmate..

Messmate, otherwise known as stringybark or eucalyptus obliqua, is the slightly darker, slightly more figured, slightly harder and, in my opinion, slightly more attractive component of the three species that legally constitute the market product sold as Tasmanian oak. The other components are mountain ash and alpine ash, but one hears repeated stories of other "unidentified" eucalypts being added to the Tas oak blend, especially by the larger companies.

If your contract says messmate, then that means messmate, not some or several other eucalypts. Let your contractor know immediately, both verbally and in writing by registered mail, that any substitutes for messmate is not acceptable.

Good luck

Graeme

Hi The.Sparrow,

Tassie Oak is comprised of the species E. Obliqua, E. delegetensis and E. regnans and sometimes a bit of E. sieberii. There are two mills in Tassie that are located in areas where the only significant Euc species for processing is E obl. They are Britton Bros Smithton and Gunns Smithton. All Brittons timber is fully processed on site and there is a high probability of getting E obl and E obl only if buying from there. The same would be true if you bought timber from Gunns that was logged and processed at Smithton but I know that all timber generated in that mill isn't all treated in that location.

Outside of that scenario above there isn't any mill in Tassie that can nominate true to species native forest timber nor indeed whether it is old growth or regrowth and this probably has a far greater influence on characteristics than species anyway. They may make claims to the contrary on both fronts but that's the reality of the situation from one who knows.

Old Pete