Thread: Sourcing timber for wbench

Oh dear, what a difference a decimal point makes. (!) - $533 cubic/m - is that fairly reasonable for Karri?

Sounds more than reasonable to me.

Originally Posted by Bitslong

Oh dear, what a difference a decimal point makes. (!) - $533 cubic/m - is that fairly reasonable for Karri?

$533 is DIRT CHEAP for ANYTHING!

This is Karri. http://reports.lumen.cg.catholic.edu...20complete.htm

At the price you have been quoted, I'm guessing the timber is green. i.e. Freshly cut and not kiln dried. So it needs time to air dry. Air drying needs about 1 year per 25mm thickness, and most likely much longer.

Will it warp when you split it. Of course it will. Especially if the moisture content if different in the centre.

Ask them questions. Is it green? If not, buy a stick and split it. Dry Karri weighs 850Kg/m3. Take some bathroom scales with you - measure it and weigh it to work out. A 125x125 piece of 10% moisture content Karri weighs 13.28kg per metre.

I would probably consider buying a 1200x2400 sheet of 24mm or 36mm MDF. Cut it to size, sandwich it together and maybe glue on a skin of ply or even some nice floorboards.

Cheers

Well it was too good tbt - they no longer have *any* 125x125 stock, only 125 X 75 at the same price which works out to be ~$900 cubic/m.

On the upside it's all kiln dried, which I guess you'd expect for that price?

Maybe I'll just price up some pine and MDF for now and come back to HW another day - gotta see how I'll work my end/sliding tail vice into it all.

Thx for the input guys

Originally Posted by Bitslong

Well it was too good tbt - they no longer have *any* 125x125 stock, only 125 X 75 at the same price which works out to be ~$900 cubic/m.

On the upside it's all kiln dried, which I guess you'd expect for that price?

Are you serious? $900/m3 and kiln dried. I can't think of anything I've bought retail than come close to that price in the last 35 years.

Let me know who is selling it. I'll have some.

I did mention that they are sold as fenceposts right? - not furniture timber (I haven't yet seen them in person).

I'll send you a PM (are you the bloke who sold all the lovely LN gear not long ago (Moonee Ponds?))

Originally Posted by Bitslong

I did mention that they are sold as fenceposts right? - not furniture timber (I haven't yet seen them in person).

Kiln dried fence Karri fence posts? Is it April the 1st today or what?

Originally Posted by Bitslong

I'll send you a PM (are you the bloke who sold all the lovely LN gear not long ago (Moonee Ponds?))

Yes. Want some do you?

LN? hah, would any member say no?

KD Karri FP - I thought the same thing but I'd question it more if I was there in person not over phone.

Originally Posted by Bitslong

I did mention that they are sold as fenceposts right? - not furniture timber

I contacted the company and the post are definitely Karri and DEFINITELY GREEN. NOT KILN DRIED.

Might be good for something other than fence posts by 2015.

Well that ends that hey.
Did the dude know what he was on about - why'd he tell me otherwise. No matter really.

Originally Posted by Bitslong

Well that ends that hey.
Did the dude know what he was on about - why'd he tell me otherwise. No matter really.

Me: Hi. I hear you have some Karri posts.
Him: Yep.
Me. A guy told me they are kiln dried
Him: No mate. Green. Green. Green.
Me: Thought so. I'll tell him he's dreaming.

LOL
The first time I called the chick I talked to told me that Karri was red, not green but would find out about the drying and call me back (didn't). Then I spoke to the bloke who said it was KD - i wonder if he is the same bloke you talked to who had realised his mistake.

Oh well, both our hopes dashed. Was good for a while.

A cheap option is old sleepers and bridge timbers. These tend to be nail free and have large bolts which you can remove.

You can then use a circular saw and run it along the 4 edges to remove the outer timber.

You will end up with timber that can be milled or resawn with a circular saw in a pinch. Then cleaned up.

I once scored 10 sleepers for like a $100.

$20 is about the going price. Their is bloke out in the west. I think it was Jarra Timber


Attached is a photo of some of the sleepers.