Buying rough sawn lumber - quality expectations

[luvmytoolz]

In a previous life, I spent a considerable amount of time on your West coast (Perth, Kwinana, Fremantle, Collie, Margaret River, etc.). I was surprised to see Jarrah being offered at the local home center (Bunnings, IIRC). It's a beautiful wood and was being sold for decking. I did not check on pricing because shipping it home would have broke the bank. I did manage to snag a couple of hand made souvenirs tho. Might have been in Fremantle? Also, got a didgeredoo (SP). A great place to visit. Many fond memories there.

Cheers,
Barney

Jarrah is such an exceptionally beautiful timber especially when you find the highly figured grain timber,it's a little brittle and can be somewhat hard to work with as a result, but the results are just amazing.

I often mix Jarrah with White Oak in things I make, and the end result is just a sensational pairing.

 

[BarneyD]

I often mix Jarrah with White Oak in things I make, and the end result is just a sensational pairing.

The piece I bought in Fremantle was a bowl turned of Jarrah and She-oak. It is my wife's favorite gift ever. And the grandkids love it as well because it always has candy in it.

As an aside, some years ago I took a flight from Johannesburg RSA to Perth. I was waiting in line for Customs and Immigration in Perth when I got a tap on the shoulder and noticed a dog sitting next to my luggage. The agent with the dog asked me if I had any wood products in my bag. I replied that I did and that I had them listed on my customs form. In J' burg I had purchased a nice little magazine rack which was said to be made of Rhodeisan Teak. It was small enough and I could disassemble it to fit in my luggage, so I bought it. That dog could smell the timbers. Long story short, they were looking for timbers which still had bark on them (where bugs like to infest). So I was allowed to continue my journey with my rack.

Cheers,
Barney

 

[luvmytoolz]

@BarneyD She-Oak's another really beautiful timber with fantastic grain. Makes for very nice hand tool handles and planes.

Interesting about the bark aspect with customs, I didn't know that was more or less the main criteria, other than certain listed species I guess. Makes sense though, I often pull bark off with a screwdriver as 9/10 times a spider or two jumps out!

 

[Cheese]

I need that purple heart, we bought out all the local stuff, still short for the job.

Tom

Tom, If you're referring to those boards leaning against the racking, that was some aromatic cedar that I purchased and then resawed. I turned it into drawer liners for some built-in clothing drawers.

 

[tjbnwi]

Tom, If you're referring to those boards leaning against the racking, that was some aromatic cedar that I purchased and then resawed. I turned it into drawer liners for some built-in clothing drawers.

Yes, what I was referring to, looked purple to me.

Tom