Thread: Rooftop finials. What timber?

To beat the cockatoos I'd suggest you use a hardwood. Class 1 durable would be best but not essential. 120mm is a big diameter .So you will have to glue up.
Tallowood doesn,t glue well, ironbark would be OK but since your turning it I'd say coastal Blackbutt which is class 2 durable would be OK and easy to get.
cheers
Steve

Avery, I replaced a couple on my house a few years ago. The house was only about 8 or 9 years old at that time, & the Crapiata originals were simply disintegrating - didn't need any help from cockies. It looks like water got in through knots and just rotted the guts out of them. So that's one wood to avoid!

I used a piece of Mountain Ash, or a very close look-alike, a) because I had it, & b) because its a lot easier to turn than a chunk of Spotted Gum, which was the only alternative available. Any hardwood rated as durable should do the job. Knots or defects are always going to be trouble in exposed situations, no matter how much paint you use, so select carefully. I would avoid laminating, if possible - the constant temperature & humidity cycles are going to play havoc with any glue joint. (An aside: Are you SURE they are 120mm square?? Mine was a similar length to what you quote & turned from about 75mm square stock, from memory. If your dimensions are correct, that is one obese little finial... )

Cheers,

Thanks for the advice Stopper and IanW


Ian, I would guess that these too have simply rotted out. The cockies probably just provided the final push.

The size is as the owner has drawn for me - he says that they are exactly as per the originals. the base , at its widest is 120mm and the ball on top is 110mm. That is causing me a problem in finding a single piece of timber to start with that does not cost a fortune. You can buy 80 x 80 finials 600 mm long ready to go in Bunnings for under $20 in treated pine. The owner does not want to go that route and insists on the larger size but I bet when I tell him a single piece of decent timber is going to cost at least $60 (and probably more) to start with he may change his mind.

Hi Avery - well, if those are the dimendions the customer specifies, that's what you have to provide...

It is going to give you a headache sourcing suitable clear timber in such a large size, alright. If you can find some green or part-dry stuff, it would probably be ok (& an awful lot cheaper!). Turn it up & slather it with undercoat & watch it for a week or two. If it dries a little out of round, no-one is going to notice from down on the ground...

Cheers,