Thread: Ti Tree

G'day Iain
It depends what sought it is, I live in Hastings and we have 3 types that people could call Tea Tree. There's the Paper Bark one with flakey bark, that grows in damper areas and rots very quickly, there's the one called "Moonah", it has dark rough bark and a edible white berry, and lastly the true Tea Tree, often twisted and knarled found along the Port Phillip and Western Port coasts growing in sand dunes with Moonah. None of them are "cabinet" timbers, none of them will produce good planks but Moonah and "Tea Tree" will produce usable timber in small dimensions. Moonah has a beautiful golden brown timber but it tends to split when drying, it even has huge cracks in it when still growing. "Tea Tree" has the most use and most stable of the three. It was used in the olden days as substitute for nails in boat building as it swells when wet. I reckon it would be good for tool handles because of its strength. It's the type used for "Tea Tree" fences and lasts a fair while outside because of its oil content. The wood is greeny browny grey in colour, not the most attractive and hard to get big pieces out of it because of its growing habits. Try to save the best bits that are likely to give you decent dimensions, its worth keeping, probably all are best for turning, but "Tea Tree" will be very hard on blade edges because of its silicone content.
Kind regards
Harry

Thanks Harry, ever heard of brevity
I think mine is the papery stuff and sounds like it could be worthy of a match, it came from a low lying area that was underwater for most of the year, the bonus is though is that the mozzies now have nowhere to hide and that has been a real bonus.
Never really noticed the Ti Tree in Hastings, but then, have never really looked and I am down there 5 days a week.
Just thinking, up along the railway line, that would be the stuff along there wouldn't it???

It would make spectacular looking stick furniture

Great for younger elkhorns and staghorns.

Shedhand sent me some small pieces as his part of the boxmakers' exchange, and it's quite spectacular, especially the end grain. Looks like it will be quite stable too. Well worth experimenting with.

Have had some of this stuff which has well seasoned inside for about 20 years (was a feature wall which we really didnt like). Most diameters were around 55 to 65 mm and lengths of 1 mtr. The wall was around 10 mtrs long.

Started to use it in the fire one day and while cutting it up noticed the end grain seemed to have some value so pulled all of the 4" nails which it was attached with and have tried turning it with some very pleasant results, the grain has character and it should make at least some nice tool handles.

I now have about 100 mtrs of it ready for working.
This is the tee tree which is basically round and the grain runs fairly straight if you get my drift and having been inside has seasoned well.

Bottom line its not completely useless.
My 2 bobs worth.

[QUOTE=Iain;395838]Thanks Harry, ever heard of brevityQUOTE]

no

Heres a pic of piece of furniture made from ti tree and recycled hardwood. This particular type of ti tree is a mountain ti tree.

This stuff you gota look at on a piece by piece basis.
If its a booring piece its pink straight grained and featureless but even thst can be usefull.
But it don't take it much to get interesting, I have a piece (laid down) that is all upset and twisted and will be ver interesting I hope.

one of the blokes from tassie was saying he saw some that had some fungal activity and was full of streaks & colour.

I recon get some bark off and get a look inside before you consign it to the firewood pile.

cheers