Folks, just a small “survey” here: please look at the timber used on the counter front and top in the picture and state what timber you think it is. The finish is catlac and I have not altered the colour in any way.The colour appears true to life on my computer, at least.
People in Australia and New Zealand should not respond, please.
Philip Marcou
Replies
I have NO idea BUT I once made a basement bar for a friend out of recycled Hickory that looked 'sort' of like that grain...
Is it jarrah? I heard that was commonly used in Australia.
commonly used in Australia.. FOSTERS Beer?
I am no expert, but it sure looks like my hickory cabinets.
It looks like Australian Cypress. My local hardwood dealer carries it. A little pricey for me.
Come on folks, some interesting results so far, but what is holding back the rest of the populace? (I mean , could the aspiring electricianscome jointer connecter uppers please take their minds off that for just a bit?) <G>Philip Marcou
Folks,
I am disappointed that little interest has been shown over the question of the timber identity.Seems that there is more interest over "topics" like extension cords etc.
Or could it be that people actually are not able to identify it with condfidence-I would rather it were so.
I believe that woodworkers over a wide spectrum should be interested in this timber because it is a sign of things to come.
In fact the timber is ordinary pine (radiata)grown in New Zealand)- BUT it has been changed basically into a different timber through a process that impregnates cellulose material and colour into it. The colour goes right through and there are several shades including a very dark one. The timber is now more like a good hardwood and to me better than a lot of them-it is very stable, easy to work and has no evil dust to speak of.
If carefully selected, it can look just like Cherry-I did that and showed a panel to people who work next door all day long with pine-they all thought it was anything but Pine, and some guessed it to be Cherry.
Ofcourse, it is little known even here, because most of it is exported to the Japs, being the clever lads that they are.
You can get more info from the web site http://www.greenseal.co.nzPhilip Marcou
" Exported to the Japs" ? Hey Philip, the war ended after we dropped the big ones, remember ? As for the wood I recognized it right away. Its more commonly known as "Horrible Looking ". It can found in almost any moderate - to - low cost motel rooms all across America as headboards and those stunning " entertainment units".
Further, if people wish to address this forum with questions about 220V hook-ups, hamsters on tread mills or pulling the bottom half of their t-shirts out of the belt sander who the heck are you to tell them whats important and whats not. Your re-education of the masses falls a little flat. Heres a suggestion. Go back to the shop, pick a nice one day project, build it and then give to someone you hardly know.
Education begins there.
PS. Try using a nice straight grained wood that whispers, not screams.
xyloform
Excellent response. I could not have done better with a six pack and a shot gun. It really ticks me off too when someone gets all high and mighty about what is and isn't a good topic for discussion. In my opinion, any question where the answer is unknown is worthy of discussion. Isn't that why we're here?
I'm certainly not here to toot my horn about how smart I am at identifying a piece of crap timber that I'll never use.
Way to go!
Jeff
Jeff,
I seem to remember having constructive conversations with you in the past, so your post in support of xyloform came as a surprise.
I will just put up a few points here as in spite of his name xylo is uninformed when it comes to the timber product in question; while he might have been spending lots of time in low grade motels throughout America he has failed to make the correct observation re the headbords he refers to-namely that they are not made from Green Seal or Lignia pine. Why? because the patented product is made in New Zealand and has not been seen yet in the States.How can you condemn this when you have not used it? The people who make it here are justifiably proud , especially as others have tried without success to copy it.
Customers of mine here certainly do not see it as "horrible" or "screaming"-see the attachment for a nice quiet pair of doors....
Both of you seem to have got the wrong end of the stick over my reference to extension cords-sorry for that LOL.
Sorry about the big file-i do not know how to re-size this type of document which came by e mail from Lignia.Philip Marcou
Philip
Apologies for any offensive remarks. First of all, since this whole re-registration thing, many like yourself have begun using their real names. I know you as 'mookaroid', and would not have 'tagged' you with my post. I must say that based on all the positive help I've seen you give folks here, I'm surprised to see your comments regarding the 'extension cord' thing.
Anyway, the doors are nice. Your comments awhile back regarding my shaper issues were and still are much appreciated. Thanks, the job turned out great, and I just got another very large project from the same customer with some more monster-sized raised panels.
Tell the New Zealander's to send us some of that wood you're speaking of, and I for one would like to check it out. 99.999% (ok, all) of my work is done in North American hardwoods, 90 % of which I harvest and mill myself. It is unlikely that will change any time soon, as I've got about 12000 bf of lumber drying in my new wood shed.
Jeff
No worries Jeff-I knew something was out of character.
Sounds like you are in a healthy state regarding timber supplies.
I actually don't know what the Kiwis will do with this timber as the company is under re-organisation etc, and I am under the impression that they are struggling to keep up with offshore demand.
I am going to work out what 12000bd feet represents in cubic metres-but it sounds like a Shedload!Philip Marcou
Approximately 28.3 M3, philip if you haven't already worked it out.
When you've been converting between cubic feet, bd ft, and cubic metres for all the years I have it becomes second nature.
1 M3 = ~ 424 bf = 35.3 ft3. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
10/10 there Richard.There was a time when I was responsible for the importation of Red Oak from the States. A useful conversion factor was "1000bdft.=2.36m cbic metres", so we concur that Jeff has a shedload* of timber there<G>
*that's about 30tons....
Philip Marcou
Edited 8/23/2005 3:52 am ET by philip
Philip
My 22 foot x 19 foot woodshed with 12 foot ceiling is almost full!!
Jeff
I would like to thank those folk who ventured an opinion on this timber-apart from the bigot who "recognised it right away".
I am willing to bet my life that if some of the diehards actually used it they would be singing another tune.
Edited 8/22/2005 3:12 am ET by philip
This was an interesting post. Just as a suggestion. When you see a flameing post against you , before answering it look at the profile and see how many posts the person has done before. Recently on the Taunton forums a few "new" posters are just insulting to get a rise out of someone.
They go away quickly. But if you feel like having a bit of fun just take the piss-out of them . It's funny to see them get all worked up.
Philip
Thanks Philip. It did cross my mind to give the guy a rev, but I thought better to see what else he would come up with. In the mean time I wanted to be sure of certain aspects of that product. Don't worry, the beginnings of an entertaining response were already forming- I have to admit I am waiting for him....Philip Marcou
Cheez Philip, you got smacked around a bit there!
I've been reading about this stuff for a couple of years - but haven't seen a sample yet. Who stocks it?
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Don't know who stocks it, but it is processed in Tauranga. Contact them via the web site-maybe they could cough up a deal, as they/you say<G>Philip Marcou
I'll take a look. Is this stuff exported to the US? It would probably go up against the hybrid eucalypt hardwood coming out of Latin America (with a similar name?).
Malcolm
http://www.macpherson.co.nz
According to the M.D of Lignia it is only exported to ,er, that country I mentioned prior to a small airburst.
He also told me that at one time in the States a similar but unsuccessful process was tried by other manufacturers- possibly what the gentleman with headboards on his mind was referring to.
Is the eucalypt you refer to also processed in any way? If not , it would not fare well against the Lignia because of the fact that the Lignia has several available shades-I surmise.
What are you "scheming" on?Philip Marcou
> Is the eucalypt you refer to also processed in any way <
No, but it is being pushed hard as 'the new mahogany', and meeting some consumer resistance, as I understand. There's been comment here in the past.
No project in mind. But buying quality timber is an increasing problem here in the deep south. There's a few sources of native spp (beech, some legal rimu, a bit of kauri ... some monterey cyprus). I buy a bit of softwood from time to time and have it sitting in the shop drying. The builders' suppliers stock NZ oregon (douglas fir), p. radiata, and machined luan and meranti and other undifferentiated asian softish hardwoods.
There are suppliers of imported timber in the North Island, as you'll know. I came across a kitchen joiner in Milton recently who used mostly American white oak. He was selling up.
There's no demand - no market - for elite timbers. No-one making studio furniture (at least, not known to me).
Apart from some rimu, matai and kahikitea that I bought years ago on the west coast, I've been using recycled timber mostly recently.
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
"Ofcourse, it is little known even here, because most of it is exported to the Japs,"
Philip, careful, not living here you probably don't know that the word reference to Japan, would be similar to bad words for other races here and is considered unacceptable.
Was this piece a commission, where will it be used?
Hi Willie, thanks for the tip-does help to know these things, even though I thought the matter was concluded very definitely in 1945.
Yes, the item was an order-(I use the word 'commission' for more interesting work). It is for the office of the tourist information centre in the town of Waihi where I live.They wanted a face-lift for the existing counter,without having to fork out for a whole counter.
Free advertising for me....Philip Marcou
Very interesting. It sure looks a lot like Hickory to me.
Is this Lignia stuff stainable? Or does their impregnation process render it less than suitable for tradition coloring processes?
"...yeah, well my Dad's better than your Dad!"
"Yeah, I know. Your Mom said so..."The older I get, the better I was....
Kevin, I have only used a solvent type stain (naptha), and it was fine. I would think that the impregnation process renders it more amenable to the usual colouring processes, because the density is more consistant.
I have just worked it like normal.
When you say it looks like Hickory, is this more from the colour point of view or the grain pattern?Philip Marcou
I would think that the impregnation process renders it more amenable to the usual colouring processes, because the density is more consistant.
I think that's certainly a very relevant point. But, on the other side of the equation... the impregnated material is taking up space which might otherwise be used to lodge little bits of color.
Have you tried to stain it really dark? I should that that'd be the acid test.
When you say it looks like Hickory, is this more from the colour point of view or the grain pattern?
Hmmm... Both. Mind you, that's based on the first pic you posted. Neither one of the doors on that second pic looked nearly as much like Hickory to me.
New Zealand .. I was there... GREAT place and really nice folks!
If not for the good old USA I would move there!
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