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Thread: Where do I get it?
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14th July 2020, 11:03 PM #1Intermediate Member
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Where do I get it?
Picked up a copy of popular woodworking and found a project I'd like to have a go at. The project plan calls for Western Red cedar (commonly available at home centres and lumber yards, it tells the reader) but I have no idea where to start looking. I'd rather stay away from Bumblings if at all possible, so does the forum know where I can source this material without selling my kidneys?
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15th July 2020, 12:59 PM #2
I'd say your reading an American magazine as it is in hardwares over there but not in Aus. It is available, but as an import, may cost you that kidney but I'm sure someone can recommend a seller down your way.
Plenty of cheaper Australian timbers available, what do you want to make?Neil____________________________________________Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new
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15th July 2020, 01:22 PM #3Intermediate Member
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Yeah it's american, trying to figure out what the hell 5/4 lumber is made my brain melt. I'm basically making an outdoor bench as a gift for a friend. So I'd like something that will survive outside ok, looks nice (but not too nice, I don't like him THAT much ). I'm open to any and all suggestions - I'm very much an enthusiastic newbie. Just would like to use something a bit nicer than treated pine.
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15th July 2020, 02:42 PM #4
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15th July 2020, 03:49 PM #5
5/4 should be interpreted as five quarters. i.e. 1.25 inch or 32 mm near enough.
I'm pretty certain that 5 fourths rough sawn timber is not available in Australia.
What are you supposed to do with the wood?
Five fourths would nominally finish at around 30 mm which could play havoc with the plan's other dimensions.
Western Red Cedar is readily available in home centers in the US and Canada, but is a semi specialist import here in Aus.
But about its only advantage is it's low density which translates to low weight in the finished piece.
Similar rot resistance and strength can be obtained with an appropriate Aussie timber.regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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15th July 2020, 03:55 PM #6Intermediate Member
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It's just for a Muskoka chair bench (I refuse to call them Adirondack chairs). Like I said, I'm up for suggestions of what else to use, I'd just rather not use treated pine.
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15th July 2020, 04:51 PM #7GOLD MEMBER
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Why not consider using another locally grown softwood like Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress) used as windbreaks and milled in parts of Vic eg Millswood and available from there, in milled form. Take a drive (when you can) and pick some up.
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15th July 2020, 07:28 PM #8Intermediate Member
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15th July 2020, 07:41 PM #9Intermediate Member
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15th July 2020, 08:10 PM #10GOLD MEMBER
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Oops sorry... I meant Millgrove, on the way to Warburton on Warburton Hwy about 1 hr SE of Melbourne . There is mill in the village visible from main road opposite the park/ reserve.
ACCO a member here lives in the district and can provide more detail and info if required.
Cheers Eugene
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16th July 2020, 09:13 AM #11
C. macrocarpa is rated as class 3 & said to be good for outdoor furniture, but I think WRC would comfortably out-perform it when exposed to the elements. If you want the raw timber look on a chair which is left outside, WRC is ideal because it needs no finish & tolerates weathering without cracking or splitting (much). Many Australian hardwoods are equally durable, but tend to check & split if unsealed & repeatedly wet. They are also far heavier & would make the style of chair you're contemplating very unwieldy!
About the only local species I can think of that would tick all the boxes is Toona (Red Cedar), which is a hardwood, but light and tolerates weathering similar to its softwood namesake. White Beech (Gmelina) is also weather resistant (prized for boat decking) but a little heavier. Both are probably far more expensive than WRC, which should be pretty easy to obtain in all capital cities...
Cheers,IW
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16th July 2020, 01:18 PM #12Intermediate Member
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16th July 2020, 03:08 PM #13
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17th July 2020, 03:18 PM #14
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17th July 2020, 05:29 PM #15GOLD MEMBER
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Uptons in Albury is a bit like Aldi with their special buys, except they don't advertise them. So while there is a fixed range of various timbers always available you never know what you will find over and above those staples. And by golly there are some extraordinary bargains to be had at times. It wouldn't surprise me if the other stores are similar. Uptons are quite a big affair after you add in the Bunker stores in Tassie and Qld.