Interesting end to a long day...!

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robutacion

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Hi peoples,

Yeah, another new timber species for my collection, that I'm trying like mad to identify but no luck so far. I though that this dry tree (nearly black), was a Black Wattle, with the difference that this tree had a very long and straight trunk at about 18" diameter or so and about 4 meters of straight log I ever seen on this tree species, apart from that everything else was looking the same, the thin dark bark colour of the outer skin.

This tree was located in the same location near the 2 local water springs, where I cut a few trees 18 months ago. They were all reported through a post and recently I did revive the old dry Golden Wattle tree butt that I cut and had the 4 mushrooms growing on it, to which I turn the biggest one and showed it here a couple of weeks ago.

This old tree needed to come down but, the place at that time was for sale and the owner was moving his stuff else where, in the house and outside. One of the things he had out in the yard, under the tree I wanted to cut, was an old metal canopy that he built for an old trailer, an he decided to use that same tree that then was still alive to put a chain around one of the strong limbs and use it to winch that heavy and old piece of junk out of the triller and have it dropped on some logs. Well the logs are long gone, eaten by termites, the tree did die, the canopy got all rusted, but the owner was still very sure that the limb with the chain was still OK to winch that think out into its trailer and get both out of the yard for good.

I got everything done for that time and before I left he promised to let me know when he had that metal canopy taken away, so that I could come bach and cut the tree. I've waited and waited, looked and looked as this place is only a few hundred meters from my place and is beside the main road, which I pass by a few times a week. From the road, the old dry tree is in full view so I knew that nothing has done to it all that time, a full 18 months!

Last week as I going passing through, I so a bloke working on the back yard, so I stopped, and had a conversation with this fellow, which turned out to be the new owner, that got the place about 17 months ago...! Anyway I explain the situation and he was more then pleased to have that old dry tree removed from his yard, together with some other bits and pieces that needed some serious "trimming".

I notice something strange when I drop the old tree down, from the cut it left but not sufficient to be sure as the butt was badly contaminated with very soft spalting. The very first cut after the tree was down and from the butt end, I started to cut logs about 4 feet long as I wanted to slice some boards out of that straight log so I proceeded to cut another 3 longer logs for the same purpose. I felt on my first cut, after the tree was on the ground, that the chainsaw was cutting on hard stuff, a lot harder then the fell cut, as any other cuts I've made along the tree.

The logs stayed pretty much still when cut so I could see what I was cutting into until I started rolling those logs out. That wasn't black wattle or any other wattle I knew, the cuts were showing these perfectly round growth rings, exactly the same as pine, but the colours were different and much darker. I could sewer that I could see "orange colour" on the rings but I couldn't be sure.

When home I got a smaller log, split and sliced it only to confirm, that was indeed a new species for me. I've looked on over a couple of hundred wattle species, and so far nothing even close, the problem is that I have another 1,200 wattles to look at, and I'm not even sure that is a wattle...!

Anyway, I have processed it into pen blanks, bottle stopper blanks and even larger square sizes such as 3"x3", I only need now to make a few round bowl blanks out of it. I only have a couple of pics of the tree before it was cut down, and then all the big pieces already in the trailer, the first lot was already at my storage paddock.

I will obviously show you pics of this timber as a final product, but for now and as some sort of comparative exemplification, if you know or have seen "Tulip-wood", this is the closest thing I've seen...!
I may not have a name for it yet (feel like call it "orange wattle") but I have its number, and that is #32 on the list.

Cheers
George
 

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robutacion

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Amazing Curly Gum timber!

Hi everyone

Now, for those that seen the pics on the first opening post of this thread, have seen some other logs in the trailer that were not from that unknown Wattle I cut (the dead black one standing up), but from a gum tree that was cut by the place owner when it fall down by the wind into his back yard, and looking at it, it did appear one of many around that are only good for firewood, but I got a surprise to learn that was actually a Curly Gum and a good one indeed.

This wasn't noticeable from the external appearance, nor it did look any special when I say the cut the owner did, about 2 meters from the butt base. When I was asked to cut it shorter as possible I had the big chainsaw there, as it was still "pocking" a little too far into the backyard driveway so, I cut 3 lengths matching the but diameter, about 2'. They were still far too heavy for us to handle so I slice them in half as if I was preparing them for large bowl blanks, when the 2 halves from the first log come apart, I just couldn't believe my eyes, the curls on that timbers were just amazing throughout!.

I got them all sliced and taken home in the trailer, dropped on my backyard, near the shed for further processing. Covered with a plastic tarpaulin, they stayed there nearly all week, as I needed some extra energy to deal with them, after spending the day cutting and handling timbers!
Yesterday and today I got motivated to get them done and off the lawn, so and with the assistance of my hard working wife, we got them all cut and sealed (waxed) into various sizes and shapes.

This is very green timber were are talking about here so, I rapped tight all the square stuff, hoping that they don't crack and twist too much but I know that a large proportion will have to be re-cut into something else or into smaller pieces, as this timber cracks as twists green, just by looking at it!

With the round blanks, unfortunately I know that I will be loosing some to pen blanks, as if they want to split in two or something similar, is nothing I can do about it, unless I had a proper and efficiently built drying kiln!
I will be rough turning some (all sizes) while green and very soon, hoping to increase my chances of losing less blanks that way. The process normally works very well for me with the use of the Fungishield stabilizer to soak the rough turnings as soon as they come out of the lathe, and them put them to dry!

The round blanks very from 7" diameter for the smaller one up to 16" for the larger ones, thicknesses from 2.5" up to 5". The square stuff goes from normal pen blanks to 1.5"x1.5", 2"x2" and 3"x3" (6 to 10" long approx.). Very green, wet and extremely heavy stuff, this would be the best deep Curly Gum I come across in a long time so, I will do my very best to make the most out of it!

It goes without say, this is all also available to anyone...!:wink::biggrin:

Enjoy!

Cheers
George
 

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keithkarl2007

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Lucky bugger. That does it, we're moving to Australia. I keep telling my girlfriend you have the most amazing burls over there. :mad:
 

robutacion

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I didn't see this particular wood on your site. What is the pricing like for pen blanks and bowl blanks?

Hi arjudy,
Yes, you're right, they are not yet listed on eBay for the simple fact that this timber is green, therefore very heavy. The weight factor becomes more obvious as the pieces get bigger, not much of a problem if you are from around and can pick-up, even if has to be sent interstate, I cant send a 25kg box for AU$40 and $50 for a max. of 35kg, but not so "reasonable" to sent overseas with the cost of AU$312.30 air-mail - AU$178.80 sea-mail, for a max. of 20kg.:eek:

I have it all cut and sealed, as the quickest way to have it ready sooner rather then later but, I've only cut it last week so I'm giving it a little time to lose lots of the excessive moisture, now that is cut cut into small(ish) pieces.

The pen blanks aren't to bad (weight wise) and they will sell for AU$1 each either green or dry, so if you want some I can certainly give you a quote for whatever the quantity you want. In relation to any other sizes, square or round, I would wait a little longer as we are getting warmer days with the approach of Summer, the bigger square blanks (bigger then the pen blanks) all have spacers in between the raws so they will dry quick, the round bowl blanks, well...they will be a little slower to dry (mass/volume).

The prices for the round bowl blanks will be similar to those of identical size from other timber species, such as the #7 Spotted Gum, as an example! This is based on the fact that "most" Gums have and identical ratio of dry(ish) weight/mass-volume factor, as most timbers are sold by weight (regardless of shape), this as proven to be a much easier way to work-out prices!

I hope that I have answered your question, and not confused you too much...!:biggrin:

Cheers
George
 
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robutacion

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Lucky bugger. That does it, we're moving to Australia. I keep telling my girlfriend you have the most amazing burls over there. :mad:

Hi Keithkarl,

Hahahahah, you are so right...! Tell your girlfriend that everything else here in Australia grows bigger...!:eek::wink::biggrin:
And just to make you feel even more miserable (well... in the good way, if you know what I mean!), we have a lot more amazing things, apart from burls, should I mention a few...! nah, that would be too cruel :frown:, sorry!

On the other side of things, Australia is letting lots of people in (some legal, some not so much...!), so you never know. There is a very popular/famous saying up in the Northern Territory of Australia (NT), that goes like this, " You will never, never know, if you never, never go...!":cool:

Cheers
George
 
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robutacion

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And the black tree mistery, continues...!

Hi peoples,

I've been spending countless hours on the internet trying to identify this tree/timber, but nothing conclusive so far.

Interestingly, the name that I've though appropriate "Orange Wattle", is not correct, there is indeed a orange wattle in existence in Australia, but that ain't it for sure! There is also another possibility, and that is the "Orange Acacia" also known as Eumong Acacia or Stenophylla Acacia. The tree itself has the characteristics of this one, growing near water, tree hight and shape, I can't tell about the seeds/pods or leafs, as it had none for a long time, but I just can't find a single picture of the timber sample of this species so, I'm going to select one of two possible names for now, one is #32 Tullip-Wattle (you will see why...!), end the other is #32 Orange Acacia.

The timbers are very dry, all cut in various sizes and shapes, numbered but not yet named. They are ready for use so I will have it in the list and part of the available collection very soon. Collection oh yes..., do you know that I've started and impossible to finish timber samples collection! yeah...I know..., what a waste of time and money...!

I took a few pics of some of the blanks I've got done 3", 2" and 1"1/2 square, and I've got one pen blanks just here beside the computer so I will take a pic of it also, to add them here, so that you can understand the names options!

PS: I've got a couple of the ones I casted a few weeks back here in the computer room so I will put one next to the #32!

Enjoy

Cheers
George
 

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robutacion

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the curly gum blank marked #8, the bowl blank, is that sold??

Hi Keithkarl,

No is not, I haven't yet listed on eBay or anywhere else any of the #8 new Curly Gum blanks, (#8 is actually the timber species number on my timbers list), due to their weight for being green. I can if you want tomorrow (well later in the day, today...!:eek:) measure it and put it in the scales and see how heavy it is.

I will let you know!

Cheers
George
 

robutacion

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Hi Keithkarl,

OK, I've got some information for you, about those round Curly Gum blanks.

The blank in the pic you mention, is 11"x 3"3/4 and weigh 6.580kg at the moment (green).
From the top of the pile on the pic of the first thread about this tree species, the blanks are as follow;

First - 7" x 3"1/4 - 2.690kg------------------AU$20.20 + freight
Second - 7"3/4 x 2"1/2 - 2.180kg------------AU$16.30 + "
Third - 8"1/2 x 3"1/4 - 3.600kg--------------AU$27.00 + "
Forth - 9"1/4 x 3"1/4 - 4.850kg--------------AU$36.40 + "
Fifth - 11" x 3"3/4 - 6.580kg-----------------AU$49.40 + "
Sixth - Similar to above
Etc., etc.,

Freight costs can be worked out on this Australia freight calculator here

I will working out the weights and prices for the bigger ones soon!

Hope this helps!

Cheers
George
 
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