Timber Species

Information on the the many species of timber

Victorian Ash - VIC Australia

Workability and common applications

Overall, easy to work with hand tools and machinery
Glues, turns, and finishes well
Used for veneer, plywood, turned objects, joinery and furniture
Also used in construction, flooring and framing
Used for veneer, plywood, turned objects, joinery and furniture.
Also used in construction, flooring and framing

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Britton Timbers
Mathew's Timber
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $14.00
- 38x150 - $23.00
- 50x150 - $40.00

Tasmanian Oak - TAS Australia

Workability and common applications

Overall, easy to work with hand tools and machinery
Glues, turns, and finishes well
Used for veneer, plywood, turned objects, joinery and furniture
Also used in construction, flooring and framing
Used for veneer, plywood, turned objects, joinery and furniture.
Also used in construction, flooring and framing

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Urban Salvage
Mathew's Timber
Britton Timbers
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $13.00
- 25x200 - $14.00
- 38x150 - $22.00

Blackbutt - NSW, QLD Australia

Workability and common applications

Machines well
Does not react well to steam bending
Can be prone to gum veins, pockets and surface checking
Versatile timber, strong and durable
Fire resistant
Ideal for structural applications e.g. framework construction, flooring, cladding or fencing
Also used in joinery and furniture

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Britton Timbers
Mathew's Timber
Urban Salvage
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $25.00
- 38x150 - $38.00
- 50x150 - $51.00

Jarrah - WA Australia

Workability and common applications

Difficult to machine due to high density, coarse texture and interlocked grain
Moderate blunting effect on cutting edges
Very durable as and highly resistant to termite/insect attack
Glues and finishes well
Ok to steam bend
Great for outdoor applications
Also used in joinery and furniture
Prized for turning with tight knots, swirling gran and rich colours. Used in flooring, veneer and cabinetry

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Timber Lord
Britton Timbers
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $13.00
- 25x200 - $19.00
- 38x150 - $21.00
- 38x200 - $31.00

Tasmanian Blackwood - TAS Australia

Workability and common applications

Overall, easy to work with hand tools and machine.
Glues, turns, carves, and finishes well.
Great for steam bending
Important that safety precautions are taken when sanding, as the wood dust can cause irritations.
Not ideal for external applications – low durability
Ideal for making furniture and joinery, internal veneers and paneling.

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Britton Timbers
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $17.00
- 38x150 - $30.00

Spotted Gum - NSW, QLD Australia

Workability and common applications

Overall, is easy to work with hand tools and machine
Attractive fiddle-back appearance
Great fire resistant rating, strength and resilience
One of the most widely available recycled timber in Australia today
Best used as structural and external applications, e.g. wharfs, framing, flooring, decking and cladding
Can also used in joinery and furniture

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Mathew's Timber

Cypress - VIC, NSW, QLD Australia

Workability and common applications

Reasonably hard timber
Can be satisfactorily machined and turned to a smooth finish
Special techniques, such as surface roughening, are required for gluing
Great for outdoor use, usually used in framework construction, flooring, cladding or for fencing oyster stakes and jetty piles in low-salinity environments, as well as beehives.
Not as often used in indoor applications but ok for furniture, turnery, joinery, carving, parquetry and linings

Suppliers

Bowens

Jelutong - Asia Pacific

Workability and common applications

Vow density rating lends itself to ease of workability
Plain grain and fine texture make it extremely popular with carvers and pattern-makers
Very easy to turn and carve
Used for architectural models, drawing boards, picture frames, wooden shoes (clogs), furniture parts, doorknobs, dowels and pencils

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Britton Timbers - prices as of Feb 2019
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x300 - $26.00
- 38x300 - $39.00
- 50x300 - $51.00
- 75x150 - $39.00

American Walnut - North America

Workability and common applications

Works easily with hand and machine tools
Glues well
Can be polished to an exceptional finish
Good for steam bending
Dark heartwood will lighten over time with exposure to UV light
Used in high end furniture, cabinet making, architectural interiors, joinery, doors, flooring and paneling,

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Mathew's timber
Britton Timbers
Timber Lord
- 25x150 - $26.00
- 38x150 - $41.00
- 38x200 - $55.00
- 50x150 - $58.00

American Maple / Rock Maple - North America

Workability and common applications

Dries slowly with a large shrinkage, so can be susceptible to movement
Very hard with a tight smooth grain, with care it machine fine
Turns well, glues fine and can be polished to an outstanding finish
Good for steam bending
The lighter coloured sapwood tends to darken over time with exposure to the UV light.
Used in Furniture, paneling, kitchen cabinets, workshops and table tops, interior joinery, architectural features.
Hard wearing properties make this timber ideal for high traffic applications

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Mathew's timber
Britton Timbers
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $17.00
- 38x150 - $30.00
- 50x150 - $45.00

White Oak - North America

Workability and common applications

A hard and heavy wood, with low stiffness and medium crushing and bending strength.
Resulting in extremely good steam bending properties
Easy to machine, glue and finish
As a slow-drying wood has a high shrinkage rate, making it prone to checking and susceptible to some movement.
Used in making of vats for spirits and wine
In Australia is mostly used for flooring, joinery and furniture

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Urban Salvage
Mathew's timber
Britton Timbers
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $15.00
- 38x150 - $31.00
- 50x150 - $48.00

American Ash - North America

Workability and common applications

Ok to steam bend
Fine outdoors as highly durable to external factors
Highly workable, takes to glue well and polishes to a very high finish.
Responds well to steam bending
Excellent woodturning timber
Versatile timber used in a range of interior applications, e.g. flooring, furniture, joinery, mouldings, sports equipment etc.
Available as a thermally modified to be suitable in outdoor applications e.g. cladding and decking

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Mathew's Timber
Britton
Timber Lord
General cost per meter
- 25x150 - $14.00
- 38x150 - $22.00
- 50x150 - $31.00
- 75x150 - $57.00

Pine

Workability and common applications

Pine can be worked easily by hand or machine
Lightweight, straight, grained and lacks figure often with knots.
Pine grows very fast therefore is a more sustainable timber option
Very cheap
Usually used in building and construction, prototyping, mould making, wood and paper pulp, masts and poles and other construction needs.

Suppliers and pricing per meter

Bunnings
- Standard construction pine sold at set lengths (not per meter)
- Prices ranging between $4 for 1.2m, and $37 for 2.4 in different widths and thicknesses