Thread: Lacewood

I have also heard it called
Silk Oak

Try that in the search's

There are two types of timber called lacewood. I can't remember the second one but the main one is silky oak (grevillea robusta). Silky oak is an Australian native but now grows in many places in the US, where it's usually called lacewood.

To my knowlege the original use of the name Lacewood was directed to the Plane tree or London Plane, the street trees with the big leaves and scabby looking bark, found in many country towns especially throughout Victoria.

The name was given to the timber because when cut for veneer or turned the beautiful white grain looked just like fine lace.

Have used some and can agree that it was aptly named. Turns, carves and generally works really well. When cut the timber looks very much like Silky Oak only pale cream to almost pure white in colour. I believe that is how the name came to be associated with Silky.

Hope this helps - Neil

There are about 10 species in Australia generally referred to as Silky Oak . If you go to http://www.anbg.gov.au/common.names/
and type in silky oak you will see many results. As RFNK wrote earlier Grevillea robusta is a 'silky oak'. I think the other popular species he is thinking of could be Cardwellia sublimis, there is a pic of it at this site www.wood-worker.com/woods/lacewood.htm and at this site http://www.eisenbran.com/OurGallery2.htm
The following site lists some reactions people have had from species of the family PROTEACEAE http://bodd.web.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFold...ermP/PROT.html

Hope this helps,
Lance

That's right Lance, it is the cardwelia sublimis I've seen references to. I read a lot of American woodworking magazines and books and saw quite a lot of silky oak when I was over there recently. Every reference I've seen to lacewood has been silky oak (the cardwelia and grevillea look identical).