BANKSIA
NUT
Banksia trees are
characterised by leathery leaves and large candle-like spikes of flowers in
varying colours. The fruiting nuts that remain after the flowers have died
off are very large, and hard enough that they can be sawn and even turned on
a lathe, proving very popular for craft work.
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BANKSIA TIMBER
Banksia trees are
characterised by leathery leaves and large candle-like spikes of yellow
flowers. Several of the Banksia species (most notably ‘Bull Banksia’ (Banksia
grandis) produce a very attractive timber with prominent rays in various
shades of red.
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WA BLACKBUTT
(Eucalyptus Patens)
A pale yellow to brown
timber available in limited quantities in WA. Used for flooring and
furniture. Its commonly used name is derived from the appearance of the
tree following bushfire. It bears no resemblance to Blackbutts found in
other parts of Australia. |
CAMPHOR LAUREL
(Cinnamomum camphora)
This tree is not a native
to Australia, having been introduced from Asia around the 1850’s. The
timber is extremely popular in craft work due to its beautiful colour,
figure and aromatic nature. It is also popular with cabinetmakers for
drawer bases etc. due to its insect repellent properties.
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GRASSTREE
(Xanthorrhoea)
Also
known as “Blackboy”, the plant that produced this timber is unique to
Australia and is extremely slow growing. The wood comes only from the root
ball and a short section of the stem. It displays rich colours from golden
honey through to dark brown, almost black.
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HUON PINE
(Lagarostrobos
franklinii)
Huon pine is one of the slowest-growing and longest living plants in the
world. It can grow to an age of 3,000 years or more. Only the bristle-cone
pine of North America lives longer. The tree is wholly protected and cannot
be felled. However, wood on the forest floor remains usable and is highly
prized, not least because of its sweet aroma.
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JARRAH
(Eucalyptus marginata)
With its beautiful rich
colours, interesting grain and occasional gum veins, Jarrah remains one of the
world’s most desirable and sought after
hardwoods. The tree grows to a majestic 40 metres in
height only in the south west corner of Western
Australia.
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JARRAH BURL
(Eucalyptus marginata)
Jarrah is unique to
Western Australia and is renowned for its beautiful and richly
coloured hardwood. Burl refers to the timber
produced from carbuncle like growths on the trunks of trees. The resulting
timber is full of knots and swirls that make for an extremely attractive
feature.
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KARRI
(Eucalyptus
diversicolor)
Unique
to Western Australia, the Karri is one of the tallest in the world growing
up to 90 metres in height. The timber of the Karri ranges from a pale pink
through to reddish brown. It is frequently used as a structural timber
because of its availability in long straight lengths.
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LACE SHEOAK
(Allocasuarina
fraseriana)
Colour
dark red to brown with yellow sapwood and prominent medullary rays. Lace
Sheoak displays very tight grain where the medullary rays twist, turn and
interconnect, not dissimilar to a burl effect in other species. Exclusive
to WA in very limited quantities.
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MALLEE ROOT
(various species)
The ‘Mallee Root’ is obtained from dead trees, when often the only part left
is the actual root ball, making its accurate identification very hard. The
wood varies from yellow to tan to dark red and brown. It is typically
highly grained like burl and most are very hard, especially when dried.
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MARRI
(Corymbia calophylla)
A light coloured hardwood
unique to Western Australia. Usually contains gum veins, and is commonly
known in WA as ‘Redgum’. When
converted to lumber, the gum dries black and
provides a unique feature
to this warm honey coloured timber.
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MYRTLE
(Nothofagus
cunninghamii)
Endemic to Tasmania,
Myrtle is a striking wood with rich red, brown, and almost orange tones.
Taking a deep lustre when polished, myrtle is prized by architects,
furniture makers and woodturners alike. |
MULGA
(Acacia aneura)
Mulga
can be a small tree up to 9 metres tall, with a well defined main stem, or a
shrub of 2 to 5 metres height. The heartwood is dark brown, with
contrasting markings of golden yellow. There is a narrow band of yellowish
sapwood. The wood is close-textured and very hard.
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NATIVE PEPPERMINT
(Agonis flexuosa)
The timber is quite rare
as the tree is not harvested from state forests and comes only from private
land. The heartwood is light brown with some streaking and shows a subtle
but attractive grain. The tree grows only in the south west corner of
Western Australia.
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BLACK PALM
(Normanbya normanbyi)
A tall, handsome palm of
the North Queensland rainforest, growing to about 20 metres tall,
with a 4 metre leaf spread. The trunk is smooth, slender, and closely
ringed, and becomes almost black as the palm gets older. The timber is very
hard and fibrous but turns cleanly with sharp tools.
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RASPBERRY JAM
(Acacia acuminata)
The heartwood is dark
reddish brown and very hard. It has an attractive grain with fiddleback
being a common feature. Is used for ornamental work and has potential for
use in the construction of musical instruments. Its common name comes from
the smell of its freshly cut timber.
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RED CEDAR
(Toona australis)
Red Cedar is a beautifully coloured timber from the east coast of
Australia. It is available in only limited supply due to over harvesting in
the early days of the country’s settlement. It is frequently featured in
early Australian antique furniture.
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RED MORREL
(Eucalyptus
longicornis)
Red Morrel is a medium to tall tree up to 30 m. The rough grey bark up to
the branches has a stringy texture, with smooth grey bark on the branches.
The species is common in the south-east Goldfields and in the Wheatbelt to
Coorow.
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ROCK
OAK
(Allocasuarina huegeliana)
Rock oak
is a small to medium-sized tree that occurs associated with granite soils
from east of Geraldton through the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions to
Esperance. The heartwood is a deep red, and the timber has the distinctive
rays that are best displayed by quatersawing. Sapwood is pale white. |
SALMON GUM
(Eucalyptus
salmonophloia)
Probably the best known eucalypt in the Goldfields and Wheatbelt of Western
Australia. It had a long history of use in underground mines, and the dense
fine grained and attractive timber has gained popularity for panelling and
flooring. It is being experimented with in musical instrument manufacture,
particularly as flute head joints.
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SANDALWOOD
(Santalum spicatum)
Sandalwood is famous for its beautiful aromatic timber which, in the early
days of settlement, earned up to 45 per cent of the colony’s export income.
The majority went to Asia for use in incense sticks and is still used for
that purpose, as well as being used by perfume manufacturers.
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WA SHEOAK
(Allocasuarina
fraseriana)
Colour dark red to brown with yellow sapwood and
prominent medullary rays. Sheoak has been used for items such as beer
barrels and roof shingles. Is now widely used for decorative woodwork,
turnery and flooring.
Exclusive to Western Australia in limited quantities.
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SNAKEWOOD
(Acacia xiphophylla)
A
large bush or small tree found in the southern Pilbara, Gascoyne and
Murchison regions of WA. This very hard timber is very dark brown with some
darker grain and frequently displays beautiful golden flecks.
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TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD
(Acacia melanoxylon)
The stunning timber
radiates a subtle beauty that makes it irresistible to Australian furniture
designers and other woodworkers. It boasts a variety of colours ranging
from light golden-brown to deep brown. It is easily worked, very stable and
is long lasting.
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TUART
(Eucalyptus
gomphocephala)
The Tuart is sufficiently rare that supplies of the timber are limited to
coming from private property. The timber is pale-yellow brown in colour and
very hard, which saw it widely used in the past for wagon wheels, propeller
journals, telegraph pegs and tool handles.
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QUANDONG
(Santalum acuminatum)
The Quandong is a member of the parasitic Sandalwood family. The fruit of
this tree has long been an important food source of Aboriginal people. Its
timber is similar to Sandalwood but without its distinctive aromatic
nature. Emus are often responsible for spreading its seeds. |
WANDOO
(Eucalyptus
wandoo)
Wandoo is commonly called 'white gum', and is usually a medium to large tree
up to 25 metres in height. Wandoo grows in the 380 to 500 mm rainfall
zone of south-west Western Australia. The heartwood is yellow to light
reddish brown, and the sapwood band is very narrow. The timber is very
hard and dense.
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WA FLOODED GUM
(Eucalyptus rudis)
WA
Flooded Gum is a medium-sized tree with a height of 10 to 20 metres and a
diameter up to 1 metre. It occurs mainly on river flats and creek
banks. Flooded Gum occurs typically in open forest or woodland, associated
with Wandoo, Marri and Jarrah. |
WESTERN
MYALL
(Acacia
papyrocarpa)
Western Myall is endemic to the Eastern Goldfields region of Western
Australia. It features a chocolate coloured to golden brown heartwood,
often with a golden fleck and a pronounced ripple grain. The sapwood is
pale yellowish colour and contrasts beautifully with the dark heartwood.
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WOODY PEAR
(Xylomelum occidentale)
Woody pear is generally a small tree growing to 5 to 8 m tall, with a short
bole that can occasionally reach 30 cm in diameter. The large woody
fruit is pear-shape, hence the common name. Heartwood is a dark reddish
colour with a decorative figure. Sapwood is a contrasting pale cream colour |
YORK GUM
(Eucalyptus loxophleba)
York Gum is a small tree from 5 to 15 metres tall with a diameter of up to
0.6 m, or a low straggly mallee and is widespread in the Wheatbelt and
Goldfields areas of WA. Heartwood is yellow-brown, hard and tough with
an interlocked grain
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