Thread: Timber identification - heavy recycled beams - tear-out-a-zoola

Originally Posted by Cgcc

Many thanks Mobyturns, I will clean up more and see if I can nail it down.

Although I didn't actually find it was too hard to plane in terms of density or resistance - the tear-out was just extreme. (Or maybe I'm just getting better at sharpening and scarred by recent experience with Karri.) It was a little like Merbau in that regard which isn't too hard to work for me but seems to splinter and split very easily so risky business.

I should perhaps have added - the demolition yard is a demo yard, but they do separate out their timber, measure it, classify it in loose categories (pine, hardwood etc), and keep it indoors and undercover et cetera. It is cheap but not minimal and they do seem to look out for quality stuff. The gent mentioned they have a lot of furniture makers who pick their stock. They don't dress anything or try and ID the wood or anything like that which is why I haven't referred to as a timber seller/merchant.

I should also mention if anyone was interested that there was a big pile of it there that is probably still there, in Brisbane if anyone was chasing any.

This could be part of the huge amount of timber (mostly ironbark) recycled from the old Hornibrook Bridge or Hornibrook Highway between Sandgate and Clontarf and opened back in October 1935.

"the 1746 corbels supporting the decking and were part of the 2.5 million cubic feet of timber used to build the Bridge, cut from forests north-west of Redcliffe in Conondale, Mapleton and Kilcoy." Hornibrook Bridge | Redcliffe

Originally Posted by Cgcc

It was a little like Merbau in that regard which isn't too hard to work for me but seems to splinter and split very easily so risky business.

I may have mislead you Johnstone River Teak is known as Merbau. I have corrected my post due to an error. JRT also grows in the same rainforest regions behind Innisfail. Its "soft" compared to any of the Penda's. The local JRT or Merbau also shows the yellow / cream inclusions in the galleries from memory. I haven't worked any of the local JRT since 1985.

In 1980 we built our home in Edmonton and placed a "special" order with Rankine Bros saw mill at Stratford for two 8m long 150 x 75 beams of Red Penda or Johnstone River Hardwood, to span the full length of the patio on the northern elevation of the house. No worries with the supply, getting them up 3m into the air, crikey the weight! Then nailing off double triple grips for each truss - easy peasy - because we ordered them with the trusses so they didn't have a chance to dry!

That's what we used to call Turning Wood." You kept turning it over and over looking for the good side. Any worse and it was refered to as S*#T Stick.
It could be any of our hardwoods from a tree with spiral grain. As said earlier make good mallet heads. Even if you manage to scrape it smooth it will still pop up when you finish it. Wack a bit of metho on it once you think its smooth and you will see what I mean.
Need to feel it and smell it to have much hope of identification as the cranky grain will have you thinking all sorts of things.

My vote goes to Brushbox

Originally Posted by Wongo

My vote goes to Brushbox

As the others have said, could be any of a number of possibilities, Wongo. I don't think of Brushbox as being particularly durable in a marine environment, but Satinay (Syncarpia hillii) most certainly is and was used extensively on wharves & piles, so if it's from the old Hornibrook bridge, that's a strong possibility. Syncarpia is full of silica, which puts the marine borers off! As Rustynail said, the sniff test can sometimes get you close to actual species. Satinay doesn't have much odour when it's well-seasoned, so that may or may not help, but the curly grain fits, I don't think I've ever seen a straight-grained piece of Syncarpia....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

As the others have said, could be any of a number of possibilities, Wongo. I don't think of Brushbox as being particularly durable in a marine environment, but Satinay (Syncarpia hillii) most certainly is and was used extensively on wharves & piles, so if it's from the old Hornibrook bridge, that's a strong possibility. Syncarpia is full of silica, which puts the marine borers off! As Rustynail said, the sniff test can sometimes get you close to actual species. Satinay doesn't have much odour when it's well-seasoned, so that may or may not help, but the curly grain fits, I don't think I've ever seen a straight-grained piece of Syncarpia....

Cheers,

Tend to agree with Ian's comments above re possible id and wavy grain. Although it does look like Brushbox (colour and grain) its lacks the durability required. Satinay was used until it became protected from over-cutting on Fraser Island. Another tropical Syncarpia (S glomulifera) called Turpentine was also used for wharves and marine environments due to its resistance to the dreaded Toredo worm. The wood was often used in round (with bark on) for piles but was also milled. Neither have distinctive wood odours, the leaves and bark have turpentine-like odors.

PS & edit: These 2 Syncarpia species were exported in large quantity (like Jarrah) for wharves & marine structures as so few species are durable to the marine worm (in salt water)

The idea that this timber came from the Hornibrook Bridge seems to have taken hold without much evidence. So many SEQ houses were built with local hardwood framing and any number are being demolished regularly a variety of framing timber can be found in demolition yards. The surfaces showing in the original photos don't look like the timber has been exposed to much weathering so I'd be surprised if it was bridge timber.

The brownish colour does look to me to be more like the Brushbox I have planed rather than Ironbark, but I didn't find it that cranky that it couldn't be planed without tearout. To me touching planed brushbox has a more 'waxy' feel than ironbark and ironbark also feels heavier. Also when handling ironbark I always get splinters, but not with brushbox.

However I don't have a lot of experience with many other local hardwoods. Perhaps a density weigh in might help with the identification?

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

The idea that this timber came from the Hornibrook Bridge seems to have taken hold without much evidence.

I did say "could be part of.."

Fuzzie, I agree with your points entirely - I was just chucking another wood into the mix. Your point about weathering is a good one, though even on a bridge, much of the timber is out of the weather. My BIL had some lovely Ironbark bearers that were in spanking condition after serving 50 or 60 years on a bridge in N. Qld.

I think this thread amply demonstrates once again how difficult it can be to identify a wood with certainty from a picture - so many of our woods look similar, and the range within species is often greater than the range between them. You need all the help you can get. Provenance is a very good start, then things like odour (or lack of it) if you can recognise it, grain structure, & least of all, colour, which is usually the most variable property of all. There are only a few of our woods whose colour is sufficiently characteristic & consistent enough to be a reliable guide to species.

Cheers,

I agree with Wongo - Brushbox. I have some with grain/colour exactly like that. As well as the hardness and cranky grain, the high silica content will stuff blades in no time. Best rough dimensioned on the very useful SEM (Someone Else's Machine), followed by drum sander.

Can I throw my hat in the ring as well? Could it be genus corymbia - spotted gum? It's hard, it's dense, it's brown-ish, the side grain structure looks similar to pieces I have. And it tears out like crazy! Any chance of an end grain shot?

Adding in some photos of a spotted gum board that I have that is quite similar to Cgcc's. And it has that same smooth to the touch but rough to the eye characteristic.

spotted gum 1.jpg