handcrafted tasmanian timber

Lagarostrobos franklinii is a species of conifer found only in the wet, temperate south-western corner of Tasmania, Australia. It is often known as the Huon pine or Macquarie pine. It is a slow-growing, but long-lived tree; some living specimens of this tree are in excess of 2000 years old. Extensive logging in the past has removed nearly all large trees, but there is regrowth nearly everywhere. One stand of the species has been made available for access to craft wood from dead and downed timber under a strict licensing system. It is illegal to cut living trees.

The wood is highly prized for its golden yellow colour, fine grain, and natural oils that resist rotting. This oil renders it impervious to insects, waterproof, and imbues it with its characteristic sappy perfume. The high oil content also means the timber can be bent, shaped, worked and sculpted without splitting and finishes to a superb, fine lustre. Pale straw coloured when first cut, it ages to a rich honey gold. Woodworkers love it!

Lophozonia cunninghamii, the myrtle beech, is an evergreen tree native to Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. It grows mainly in the temperate rainforests, but also grows in alpine areas. While its name may imply otherwise, it is not related to the European Myrtle family. It is often referred to as Tasmanian myrtle within the timber industry. These plants range from trees 30–40 m (98–131 ft) tall with large trunks to low-growing alpine shrubs less than 1 m tall. Maximum height is about 55 m (180 ft). The heartwood can be pink or a more popular reddish-brown and may also feature traces of orange, while the sapwood is pale and narrow. Even-textured, myrtle beech has a fine grain that can be straight, interlocked or feature a fiddle-back pattern Growth rings may also be visible. The burls and knotty wood of myrtle beech are favoured by craftspeople.

It is an excellent cabinetry timber which is hard with strong, tough, close grain. It is a soft pink to reddish brown, often figured and can be polished to a fine sheen. It is used for flooring, joinery, cogs of wheels, and furniture, and is good for steam bending, wood turning and carving. It is harvested from old growth forest but the vast majority of the timber is left on the ground as it grows with the heavily harvested mountain ash.

L. cunninghamii is a fairly robust species, requiring around 900 mm (35 in) of rain spread throughout the year. It is most common in Tasmania, where it occurs in most regions except the drier Midlands and east coast.

​Tasmanian oak (or Australian oak) refers to the hardwood produced by three trees: Eucalyptus regnans, Eucalyptus obliqua or Eucalyptus delegatensis, when it is sourced from the Australian state of Tasmania.Warm, dense and resilient, Tasmanian oak is the preferred hardwood for a wide range of applications. It is light-coloured, ranging from straw to light reddish brown. It works extremely well and produces an excellent finish. It can be used in all forms of construction and in interior applications such as panelling and flooring. It can be glue-laminated to cover long spans. Veneers, plywood and engineered products are also available. It is also a popular furniture timber, and its fibre is sought after for reconstituted board and production of high quality paper.Tasmanian oak is marketed under different names depending on where it is being sold.When sourced from Victoria, the wood of Eucalyptus regnans and Eucalyptus delegatensis is called Victorian ash. The species are also widely known by their common names. Eucalyptus obliqua is known as stringybark or messmate, Eucalyptus regnans is known as mountain ash, and the closely related Eucalyptus delegatensis is known as alpine ash or woolly butt.

​Tasmanian blackheart sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) is an evergreen tree native to cool, temperate southern Australian rainforests. First described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1806, it was named for the unusual dark streaks that often run through the golden-grey wood. These streaks are the hallmark feature of this unique and beautiful wood. Tasmanian sassafras is the only species in its genus and is one of only a few members of the family Atherospermataceae, which also contains yellow sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) and several other Australian rainforest trees.Tasmanian sassafras is naturally a golden-grey colour, but its common name, blackheart sassafras, refers to the characteristic brown, black, or even sometimes purple or green streaks that sometimes form through the heart of the wood. These streaks occur when a living tree suffers some sort of trauma, such as storm damage, that allows fungus to enter into the wood and stain it. Far from being a problem, this is actually what makes blackheart sassafras so recognisable – and so sought after.Sassafras are conical in shape and can grow up to 45 metres tall and 1 metre in diameter, though when growing as part of the forest understorey they usually reach no more than 6–25 metres in height and 75 cm in diameter.Tasmanian sassafras is frequently used for its timber, which is solid yet light and does not tend to split. While it has poor in-ground and external durability, it is great for internal applications. It is quite soft and easily worked both by hand and with tools, lending itself to use in furniture, panelling, joinery, veneers and wood turning.Blackheart sassafras is often cut in quarters so it can be ‘book-matched’. This means that adjoining wood surfaces mirror each other, giving a pleasing symmetry. By arranging panels of wood in creative ways, it is possible to achieve a range of stunning effects.Blackheart sassafras is also often used in musical instruments and decorative pieces such as bowls and carvings, as its dynamic dark brown and black streaks along with interspersed knots create a unique and distinctive appearance. And unlike most other woods, blackheart sassafras comes with a guarantee that no two pieces will ever look quite alike.