A few sticks of Euc

[gobbypunk]

Hi guys they seem to use a lot of it in the U S for outside slab tables but same as everybody else not sure how they stop it from twisting etc.

[Squaredy]

16 minutes ago, aspenarb said:

The fence is dog legged Catweazle so no damage , was a bit of a pig to fell because the fence was up against all four of them, seem to be having a run on Euc atm

 

Apparently so, its also used to make furniture. Dont know how they deal with it to stop the warping/splitting @Squaredy is referring to.

 

 

Was thinking the same, someone on here may well know the ins/outs of this. Anyone?

 

 

Heavy old gear J, the strops were creaking when I craned on the bigger stick, the telehandler could only lift one end so I craned it off and that's where its staying until we decide what to do with it. I am loathed to cut it . Its 26` long.

 

 

 

 

It is not impossible to use Eucalyptus for furniture, just not ideal.  More a case of why would you try when Ash, Alder, Beech, Cherry, Birch, Elm, Oak, Sycamore, Sweet Chestnut and others will be so much easier!  They planted it on a large scale in California many years ago and discovered it was pretty useless - too twisty even for railway sleepers.

 

This link details special milling techniques (quarter sawing) employed to minimise splitting in Eucalyptus, but still ultimately unsuccesful.  

Making furniture from eucalyptus wood

WWW.DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN

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Though scientists have developed a way to saw eucalyptus wood without cracking or twisting it, furniture makers aren't convinced of its utility.

 

 

The best Eucs for timber are apparently the old growth ones in Australia, which is not surprising I guess.

 

Having said all that I would love to hear of other peoples successful uses for Eucalyptus timber, if anyone has any.

[neiln]

Australian Eucs, some at least, are incredibly dense, some of the gums sink in water they are so dense, and they are still very very dense after seasoning.  E.gunni over here is a fast growing weed of a tree with a highish moisture content.  I've never had it that size but have had it a few times and found it very straightfoward to fiskar.  leave it alone and it splits itself almost and it dries out fast.  often seems to grow twisted...or at least the few i've had have been that way.

 

Smells great. splits easy, seasons fast but I would put it below leylandii as a stove fuel tbh, it gets fairly light.  it does split easier than leylandii though.

[Jamespepperpot]

Some euc 2x4s I milled last year, it's quite pretty wood when finished but too unstable to be that useful. A really challenging timber to try and make something with that's for sure

[AHPP]

How does it last in the ground? Could be of some use for fence posts or maybe even 4x8 kerbs to keep gravel in a track or similar. I hope it’s not more trouble than it’s worth. That probably depends on whether Bob has a Lucas sat in a container somewhere.

[aspenarb]

7 hours ago, AHPP said:

 That probably depends on whether Bob has a Lucas sat in a container somewhere.

I got rid of the woodmizer because every stick that came back was too big for it, to use it I had to get a mate in to rasher off lumps with his alsakan, it all got too massy and time consuming. I would revisit the world of milling if I could find something that could deal with 48" + diameter sticks, below that seems like hard work.

 

Bob

 

It was ok on small sticks, not so clever on bigger stuff.

 

 

[Stubby]

10 hours ago, neiln said:

 

 

Smells great. splits easy, seasons fast but I would put it below leylandii as a stove fuel tbh, it gets fairly light.  it does split easier than leylandii though.

The Euc over here ( that I have come across ) stays pretty dense but does not split easy , especially with that helical grain . If you don't split it soon after felling it goes off like concrete !  Would rate it slightly above Leylandii  . Similar heat output but burns for a bit longer .

[neiln]

I've never left it long before splitting.  I will always try splitting any wood i scrounge when green, and mostly I find it splits best green.  I guess that is very much the case for Euc.  I've never had any large Euc either, can't remember for sure but probably had 15" ish max.  Maybe the old heart wood gets harder?

[AHPP]

4 hours ago, aspenarb said:

I got rid of the woodmizer because every stick that came back was too big for it, to use it I had to get a mate in to rasher off lumps with his alsakan, it all got too massy and time consuming. I would revisit the world of milling if I could find something that could deal with 48" + diameter sticks, below that seems like hard work.

 

Bob

 

It was ok on small sticks, not so clever on bigger stuff.

 

 

A swing mill is surely the obvious solution. A man of your mechanical calibre must be aware of the options? 

 

 

[aspenarb]

3 hours ago, AHPP said:

A swing mill is surely the obvious solution. A man of your mechanical calibre must be aware of the options? 

 

 

I have looked at the swing mills and various other permutations, of all the mills the only one I fancy either buying or building is the double cut bandmill. So much time wasted running the head back to the start each time with conventional mills . God only knows how they track the bands