- Some references for wood identification
include: Keith R Bootle, Wood in Australia,
Types, Properties and Uses, 2nd Ed 2010,
McGraw-Hill Education, Morris Lake,
Australian Rainforest Woods, 2015, CSIRO
Publishing, Morris Lake, Australian Forest
Woods, 2019, CSIRO Publishing
See also Euclid http://keyserver.lucidcentral.
org:8080/euclid/keys.jsp - See Australian Standard 2796-1999: Timber
- Hardwood - Sawn and milled products.
Portable sawmill suppliers:
Premier Timber Milling (Wood Mizer):
https://www.woodmizer.com.au/
Lucas Mill (Lucasmill):
https://www.lucasmill.com/
Hardwood Mills (Norwood): http://www.
hardwoodmills.com.auhttp://www.woodreview.com.au 85TIMBERalone. For example, if your pack of
slabs takes four months to reach
25% MC it may take up to a further
12 months to reach 13% – or not,
if you happen to live in a humid
climate. However placed in a solar
kiln, the pack may only take another
four to six weeks to reach that
moisture content.
The reason it is best to air dry the
timber first is that if you place the
timber wet into the kiln it will cause
large stresses to the timber by drying
too quickly, this can result in the timber
being unusable. Lowering the initial
moisture level slowly by air drying
to at least 25% will ensure that the
remaining drying in the kiln will be
done with minimal stress to the timber.
Once the timber has reached its
optimum moisture content of
between 8% and 13% the timber is
ready for collection. The pack should
be stored internally in a dry, well
ventilated area, stacked as previously
discussed awaiting use.
This is a lot to consider when thinking
about using a tree from your yard for
furniture. It is not a quick process and
requires attention to detail. However
with time and care the steps and
processes mentioned can make use of
a valuable resource and help
provide a quality material for
your furniture making.
Photos: Dante Stivanello
Dante Stivanello is a builder,
furniture designer and maker
in Brisbane. Learn more at
https://stivanellobespoke.com.au