Thread: Salvaged Teak From Deck Of SS Maheno 1905

Interestingly I Spoke to an old bloke in town today whilst getting a few things in his store, he was born and bread at Findon Creek Nth Of Kyogle and can talk the wheels of a wagon with stories local and abroard, he is considered a rich local source for local knowledge.

I asked him what Teak he thought it was and he said a good chance it was Burmese or Indian. The Teak topic quickly led him to tell me how at Saw Pit Creek Nth of Findon Ck which has now become part of the Boarder Rangers Nat park. the whole valley was a kind of rocky country he said and that's the country the Crows Ash aka Aussie Teak prefered, he said the valley had never heard a chainsaw any timber that was taken out of there was all bullock and cross cut hence the name saw pit creek, they had pits with a guy bellow in the pit and a guy on top and rip saw the logs as they did in those days, was great to hear him talk about this.

I know he knows this country intimately and not many better than him, he then said they left all the tops there and they are still good till this day, they only took the big stuff, but it is all national park now so they are there to rot.

Info I found about Teak on the Web

TEAK - Tectona Grandis

Teak is a hardwood timber renowned for its use as a boat building material, in general construction and in a variety of decorative applications.

Teak's heartwood is typically golden brown in colour, although grey and red tinges are not uncommon. The sapwood, a pale yellow colour, is clearly distinct. Grain is usually straight, but due to Teak's high degree of ring porosity, longitudinal streaks and an uneven texture, ranging from coarse to smooth, are typical. The freshly cut wood can be variable in colour, with blotches and streaks, but prolonged exposure to light ameliorates the more extreme variations. Teak contains an oleoresin which gives the timber a greasy feel, and imparts a distinctive odour to freshly cut material.


Teak is a firm timber, in general easily worked. However, the timber's relatively high silica content causes severe blunting of cutting edges. For this reason, the use of tungsten-carbide blades is recommended. Teak holds nails and screws well, although pre-boring is recommended when nailing. Gluing sometimes presents difficulties because of the oily nature of the wood, and it is important to bond only freshly dressed surfaces. Teak will readily accept paints and stains. It also varnishes, polishes and waxes well. It is not suitable for steam bending. Sanding dust irritates the skin of some users.

Teak is well known for its above ground durability, with a life expectancy of greater than 40 years. In-ground life expectancy ranges from 15 to 25 years. Teak exhibits a good resistance to acids, and will not corrode metal fixings. Teak is termite-resistant, although untreated sapwood is susceptible to borer attack.

Teak is extensively used in boatbuilding for decking, rails, bulwarks, hatches, weather doors, and planking. It is also used for cooperage, pipes, and chemical vats. In general construction it is suitable for flooring, decking, framing, cladding, fascias and barge boards. Decorative uses of Teak include indoor and outdoor furniture, parquetry, turnery, carving, lining and paneling.

Teak occurs naturally in the monsoon forests of India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Teak plantations have been established in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Africa, Solomon Islands, Fiji and the West Indies.

A lot of teak came out of Burma, India and Siam to go back to Britain.

Isn't it one of the rainforest timbers that is now protected though still illegally logged.
I am hoping that one day my parents teak dining setting will be worth a fortune

I got more info on the story from my friend who wrote:

Please find attached a photo of the flutes and some of the pieces of decking timber I have off the MAHENO. The pieces of timber are approx. 100mm by 50mm by 1 meter long. They are pretty rough but I was able to make the two flutes out of one piece of timber the same as those shown here. I ended up making a 7/8 inch diameter bore E and a 1 inch diameter bore C#. I did not choose these notes for any special reason. It is just the way it turned out and I did not want to waste any of the timber. I also used the off cuts to make the bird for each flute.

If you are looking for some images of the decking itself as it was on the ship you might like to try the following. Go to the front page of Google. Hit images and key in MAHENO. There are several pages of images of the MAHENO.

Also if you are interested in background information on the MAHENO itself there is a booklet available written by a few of the locals who still live in Hervey Bay.

When the ship was finally abandoned and disowned the locals moved in to strip it of anything worthwhile. One paragraph states – “Jacob Lack used teak decking from inside the cabins to build the floor of his shack at Yidney Rocks while others made teak fishing reels from it. Hans Bellert took dozens of loads of teak decking. He used a cross cut saw to cut through the timber at each bulkhead while his son Keith had the job of undoing nuts using a specially made long handled brace and bit with a socket welded on the end. Later Keith had the job of using a spokeshave to remove the oakum and pitch off the edges of the boards”.



I hope some of you have found this interesting, I certainly did...

I will begin a thread in the NAF- Native American Flute section also as it is relevant or maybe kindly ask the mods to move the thread there if they agree.

cheers, Matt