Wood Library

Here are some of the woods that we've used in our products over the years, we'll keep this page up to date as we add new species to our collection.

 

LOCAL TIMBERS

JARRAH

Jarrah is historically known as “Swan River Mahogany”, and is a member of the Myrtle family. native to Western Australia, it’s a hard, dense timber that has been historically used in cabinetmaking, joinery, and even heritage railway sleepers! In every antique store throughout Western Australia, you will find bespoke pieces of more than a century old, made from this beautiful timber, which varies in colour from a light pinkish hue to a deep dark red colour.

 

BLACKBUTT

Blackbutt timber is a popular eucalyptus, native to the middle eastern coast of Australia. The trees grow upwards of 40m (131ft) tall, and produce rich, black veins in the wood. So loved by Australians, even the flooring of the Parliament House building in the nation’s capital is made of the stunning timbers. Traditionally used in feature decorating in homes, the black veins and soft gold hue in the wood make it incredibly versatile and attractive.

 

TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD

Tasmanian Blackwood is a native Acacia tree that grows on the southern islands of Australia. It often produces a stunning fiddleback curl in the wood, which evokes the sense of looking at the ripples of water from underneath the waves. The wood itself can range from a medium gold to a deeper mahogany, but is instantly recognisable from the black veins that streak throughout the wood. Blackwood has a reputation for being incredibly luxurious, and inspires use in fine furniture and joinery throughout Australia.

 

MAPLE SILKWOOD

Maple Silkwood, also known as rose silkwood, can be found throughout the northern parts of Queensland, and even across the ocean in New Guinea. Silkwood is often found shading the abundant parkland throughout the north of the country, with small red flowers year-round. Maple Silkwood is instantly identifiable by the abundant curling throughout the timber, and it is highly desirable by luthiers in the production of top-of-the-line acoustic guitars.

 

QUEENSLAND MAPLE

Not a true member of the Maple family, Queensland Maple is more closely related to citrus species. Ranging from a reddish brown to a light buttery yellow, maple will darken with age as the wood matures. Unlike other native Australian hardwoods, Queensland Maple does not mark it’s age with growth rings. Mostly used in furniture production and cabinetry, you can also find it in musical instruments, providing excellent tone to premium acoustic guitars.

 

NEW GUINEA ROSEWOOD

Now one of the most sought-after construction timbers in Australia, New Guinea Rosewood is an exceptionally durable hardwood. You can find it in abundance in Papua New Guinea, and throughout South-East Asia. When the wood is milled, it produces a pleasing aroma that persists on the wood after finishing. The burls are highly prized in Europe for furniture craftsmanship, and are found with highly figured patterns in the wood.

 

SWAMP MAHOGANY

Swamp Mahogany is an incredibly fast-growing eucalyptus that is found in the waterlogged soils of eastern Australia. Living for up to 200 years, the trees often regrow from buds following regenerative bushfires. The broad, green leaves of the tree form a dense canopy, and are a staple food source for local koalas. The hardy and dense timber has a deep pink to red-brown colour, and is traditionally used in cabinetry, flooring, and decking, preferred for its distinct colouration.

 

AUSTRALIAN RED CEDAR

Red Cedar is one of the rare native deciduous trees of Australia, where leaves fall during cooler months. The timbers have a distinct pink to red colouration, that contains abundant resin in the wood. An incredibly hardy tree, the Red Cedar can survive incredibly harsh conditions, like drought, fire, and frost. Named Red Gold by European settlers, it was prized for its use in furniture and boat building, with more modern applications extending into guitar tops and feature joinery.

 

SILKY OAK

Silky Oak has widely grown throughout Australia as an ornamental tree for over 100 years. The timber has a beautiful silky texture with abundant curling, and a rich amber colour. Being incredibly hardy, it is drought tolerant, and can flourish in a wide range of climates. The trees drip an incredibly sweet nectar and the wood finds common uses today in specialised woodworking, cabinetry, and centrepiece furniture items.

 

SHEOAK

Western Australian Sheoak is not an oak, as the name suggests, but more resembles a tall shaggy tree covered in needle-like branchlets. The indigenous people of Australia would use Sheoak as soft bedding for babies to rest and play as the branchlets are avoided by snakes, and would make boomerangs out of the timber, as the wood is hard and strong. Sheoak is typically pale yellow, with an even and fine grain and simple streaky figuring in the wood.

 

TUART

Tuart is one of the six forest giants of the Australian southwest, with the largest Tuart forest in the world originally populating the current township of Perth. The timber is honey-golden, and has a clean grain pattern that combines well with other timber species. As a durable hardwood, Tuart is often used as a feature timber in railway carriages and boatbuilding.

 

MARRI

Marri is named from the Noongar people of South-Western Australia, and the tree played a significant role in traditional indigenous culture. Marri is a beautiful bloodwood that produces dark red gum that contrasts with the more honey colour of the wood. Conventionally employed in furniture and flooring, you can also find Marri in boating, sporting accessories, and cabinetry finishes.

 

 

KARRI

Karri, also known as Eucalyptus diversicolor, is a species of tree that is prolific within southwest Australia. Karri is truly unique in that the sapwood is paler and grows in a narrow band around the distinctive red-brown heartwood. It historically was widely used within construction, shipbuilding, roofing timbers and for pulp and paper.

 

 

VICTORIAN ASH

Victorian Ash, also known as the Alpine Ash or Tasmanian Oak, is native to Victoria, southern New South Wales and parts of Tasmania. The heartwood ranges from pale pink to yellowish brown and while it normally appears to have a straight grain, fiddle back markings may also be produced with visible gum veins. Often Victorian Ash is used in flooring, joinery, decking and boating.

 

SATIN SYCAMORE

The Satin Sycamore, also known as Blood-in-the-bark or Coachwood, is a reasonably uncommon timber that grows predominantly in northern Queensland, Indonesia and Papau New Guinea. It has a pale brown or pink brown colouring with a fine and even texture. It is often used for furniture, joinery and as the side or backs (but not the soundboard) of acoustic guitars.

 

SPOTTED GUM

Corymbia Maculata, also known as Spotted Gum, is indigenous to eastern Australia. While the sapwood might be white to light brown in colour, the heartwood ranges from light brown through to dark red-brown hues. It is a hardwood that produces a wavy grain which can cause an attractive fiddle-back feature. Spotted Gum is used for tool handles which are likely to be high impact such as axes. It is also used for building housing, power poles, shipbuilding and flooring.

 

QUEENSLAND WALNUT

Queensland Walnut grows up to 35 metres and is the predominant rainforest tree between Innisfail and Atherton. The grain is usually interlocked and commonly wavy while the colouring ranges from medium pinkish brown to dark brown. Sometimes streaked with pink, greenish gray, or black streaks. It is commonly used in cabinetry, furniture and flooring.

 

 

BLACKHEART SASSAFRAS

The blackheart sassafras is an evergreen endemic to the cool temperate rainforests of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. The timber has distinctive black, dark brown and even green streaks running through the wood. It is used for furniture, panelling, joinery, veneers and wood turning.

 

TASMANIAN MYRTLE

Tasmanian myrtle, also known as myrtle beech, is the dominant species of cool temperate forests within southern Victoria and Tasmania. The heartwood is a pink or light reddish brown and it can have a wavy or curly grain which makes it appear like satin. It is commonly used in boat building, furniture, flooring and plywood.

 

 

RED RIVER GUM

Red River gum, scientifically known as Eucalyptus camaldulenesis, is a native tree to Australia. It is renowned for its distinctive colouring which is usually a vibrant red colour with shades ranging from pink to almost black. Because of its durability, it is often used in heavy construction, flooring, fencing, veneers production and as firewood.

 

IMPORTED TIMBERS

AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT

American Walnut, also known as Black Walnut, is a species of deciduous trees native to North America. The heartwood is a light brown to a dark brown with a cast of purple on it and black streaks. While generally it has a straight grain, it can occasionally have an attractive curly or wavy grain to it. It is used in furniture, cabinet making, architectural interiors, doors, flooring and panelling.

 

AMERICAN CHERRY

American Cherry, also known as wild black cherry, rum cherry or Mountain black cherry is a deciduous tree that is also a member of the plum family. It's heartwood ranges from a dark red to a reddish brown and it is prized for making cabinets, flooring and making musical instruments.

 

AMERICAN HARD MAPLE

American maple is a cold weather tree that grows across the northeast of the United States of America and in Canada. Its sapwood is creamy white, occasionally with a pink tinge, and its heartwood is light to reddish brown in colouring. It's used in making electric guitar tops, panelling, cabinet making, stairs and doors as it is hardwearing in nature.

WENGE

Millettia Laurentii, commonly known as Wenge, is a central African wood that grows to heights of 18-27 metres tall. The heartwood is a medium brown, occasionally with a reddish or yellowish hur, with streaks that are nearly black and a straight grain pattern. It is commonly used in veneer, panelling, furniture and musical instruments.