Thread: raintree kitchen island

beautiful work and timber well done.

Yes it is lovely timber and can be available in very large pieces. Nice top!!

I've turned a few pieces and found the dust to be a bit peppery.

Fantastic! I bet every single person who sees it will comment favourably on it

thanks for the positive words guys...

next step is to make three bar stools to run along one length..

I have two more slabs of raintree, one of which is almost one third white sap wood with a lovely chocolate middle..planning to divide the slab up equally to use as the seats and then make the legs from the final slab..

never made a stool yet...might try doing a search for some plans...

You developed a bit of a love of the timber. I think it's great very nice indeed.

Nice work
timber is like a walnut yew combo very nice keep up the good work

Like the wood!!

thanks everyone..i appreciate the kind words!

Now that has come up a real treat. Beautiful piece of timber and well worked.

I develloped a love of the timber too! nice work.

i think the biggest problem was salvaging the sap wood...it was full of borers, both big and small...once they were killed off i then had this maze of holes and grooves to fill...but i was so keen to keep the contrast, so i filled them after colour matching with Timbermate...took ages but worth it i reckon!

Originally Posted by Dominic74

i think the biggest problem was salvaging the sap wood...it was full of borers, both big and small...once they were killed off i then had this maze of holes and grooves to fill...but i was so keen to keep the contrast, so i filled them after colour matching with Timbermate...took ages but worth it i reckon!

Hi Dom, the bench came up good, the borers do like the sapwood seem to leave the heart alone, I have some some raintree wanting to be a table.....
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Pete

thats a very nice piece! that will make a great table! lovely figuring....
i have access to some more thats been stored in a shed for 15 yrs.. its gone black over time with weathering, so who knows what figuring it has underneath once its run thru the planer....
how do you keep the borers out pjt?

Here ya go Dom,

Now you need to make a dining table from Raintree (Samanea Saman).

I made two of these back in 1975 in Darwin. The timber came from trees damaged after Cyclone Tracey. Initially it was just the table top which was going to fit on top of an aluminum frame that matched the bases of office chairs. I said to my Boss that I can do something better than the aluminium frame too which I had to come up with some designs hence what you see is what was approved and I made.

I finished both tables with Estapol 7008 two pack to a complete glass like finish.

Did you know the tree has a branch spread of 38 metres (124 feet).

Here's a photo (newspaper clipping) of one of two tables I made, this one was the Cabinet Table for the new Northern Territory government (commencement of statehood) and the second one when to Canberra for Tammy Fraser's Australiana collection, last I heard it was to be used in the conference room shared by the Minster for Defence and some other Minister.
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