Old hardwood???
That could be fun..I have had old hardwood that wont take a nail and when you try to drill a hole the drill breaks...I doubt if it could be done but maybe someone can come forward who has tried it and tell us the chances.
Alex
We had a tree removed last year - stringy bark eucalypt, which is a hardwood - and the chipper pulverized log-sized sections without any trouble. It was all done on-site with their portable chipper.
EQ pier not a good idea here - termites. Garage has had them & neighbour's house is held up with termite saliva. My house has somehow dodged that bullet!
Mine supports, not very in-your-face.
Chipper, no. No better than burning/smoking. I'd rather smoke with it. Smoked almonds are quite something. But that I can leave for offcuts.
A custom vanity unit The Boss is looking at now. I like that idea as one additional possibility.
We had a tree removed last year - stringy bark eucalypt, which is a hardwood - and the chipper pulverized log-sized sections without any trouble. It was all done on-site with their portable chipper.
Try seasoned hardwood...there is a big difference ..I can cut green hardwood with a cordless "toy" chain saw but as I mentioned in a previous post mostly you can not hammer a nail into it when seasoned and when you drill it the drill bit breaks...mostly it is hard as rock.
Maybe Alex could test it and try hammering in a nail and get back to us ...in any event chipping it is such a waste..folk are so keen to save the planet and here is a place where you could recycle the timber and put it to some good use ...
Alex
I love the idea of reusing this stuff however the reality is that it's hard work. Unfortunately most of mine ended up as firewood. I have about a lifetime supply for campfires from the small amount I kept.
Because it was used green it's typically all out of whack, heavy, splintery, odd sizes, doesn't nail, hard on cutting tools and there's always a nail that was missed. As a result tradies hate it. You have to be a real DIY enthusiast to get through any decent amount of it.
Pretty sad to burn it but better than taking it to the tip.
Looks great as cladding if you get it machined but I don't think it's cheap.
I have seen some great outdoor BBQ shelters/Gazebo/bar ideas using recycled timber. The beauty of old timber is that the patina of age is really only skin deep and the timber can be resurfaced/restored to very good effect. But timber that is only part-stripped back is the best of all. You can use a blowtorch on it to give it a patchy burnt look as well adding to the rustic look.
Don’t waste it on some trivial project.
Did the nail test on different pieces as I know there are different varieties of timber here.
The bearers, these were made use of the densest & hardest timber - nail didn't get in past 5mm.
Joists, some of these are as hard as the bearers, and nail penetration was the same 5mm. Others the 2" nail went in half way & stopped. The stuff that came from the roof the nail went in deeper before dying.
Oh, I am under no illusion how hard working this timber is. I've made several cutting boards and coffee tables from similar timbers that were rough sawn & it is a *******. Killed one belt sander with it. I am also considering the amount of work any project will require. A 2.5m long dinning table is one scary bugger! All the timber needs to be dressed/cleaned down at least two sides before laminating, and that's the easy part. And dinky thicknesses won't like it at all... A dining table will take a long time to produce. Nothing trivial for me.
May be ironbark or blue gum if dark red and 1200kg/cum. Very hard. A wooly looking brown grain might be spotted gum. CSIRO publish a list of species with weight , colour and durability.
Wider sections are better for a dining table , 100mm is too much gluing. An outdoor table 1.8x 0.9 however can be made like decking from smaller timber sections thinned out by by splitting with a bandsaw (or dressing down ) and framed. Thinner is better or the weight will be a killer. I did not make this one ,I have made the indoor table, but it is a good pattern.
An electric plane and a belt sander should get the pieces uniform, or a men’s shed might have a thicknesser if you are sure there are no nails.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
Did the nail test on different pieces as I know there are different varieties of timber here.
The bearers, these were made use of the densest & hardest timber - nail didn't get in past 5mm.
Joists, some of these are as hard as the bearers, and nail penetration was the same 5mm. Others the 2" nail went in half way & stopped. The stuff that came from the roof the nail went in deeper before dying.
Oh, I am under no illusion how hard working this timber is. I've made several cutting boards and coffee tables from similar timbers that were rough sawn & it is a *******. Killed one belt sander with it. I am also considering the amount of work any project will require. A 2.5m long dinning table is one scary bugger! All the timber needs to be dressed/cleaned down at least two sides before laminating, and that's the easy part. And dinky thicknesses won't like it at all... A dining table will take a long time to produce. Nothing trivial for me.
Thanks for the cautionary note on 4x2's being narrow for a dinning table.
Ok, I have a few ideas:
Coffee table
Coasters
New work bench
Knife scales
Bathroom vanity
Bathroom mirror shelf
Bar stools
Garden bench
Garden table
Hall table
Coat rack
Chopping board/butcher block
Bathroom towel rack
Stools
Bar table
Guillotine
Trebuchet
Fail
Morning star
Kiddies bench
Wall mounted bottle opener
Most, if not all are doable with the timbers I have. Not necessarily meaning actually making them all though... But certainly doable with the 4X2's and 4X4's I have.
