# Greenheart Timber info?



## mahking51 (24 Nov 2004)

I have just bought for pennies several baulks of 130 year old greenheart that was used as pilings in a harbour near me.

The original sizes were 30-40 feet (!) x 15" x 15" and surprisingly needed a crane to move!

The 10 feet or so that had been buried for 130 years was soft for the first half inch then like iron; the 20 feet or so that was exposed to tides was covered in marine growth but only had a quarter inch or so of fuzz on it and the bit that had never been wet was just grey with a few surface checks.

I managed to get this cut into 8 foot sections ( my trailer length) and each weighed half a ton. Got 5 on the trailer - just!
These cuts used up a chain saw blade every three cuts!

My troubles had only started as it was near impossible to get a sawmill to touch this stuff. Eventually I founf a mobile mill and ended up with an absolute s***load of 8x2; 8x1; 4x3;4x2 and other odd sizes.

My first idea was to build a new much needed super king double bed but upon doing my sums I wiill need a new floor to take the weight!

Does anyone know anything about greenheart and have any ideas as to its ideal use?

If anyone says 'harbour pilings' I'm coming after them!  

Regards Martin


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## Taffy Turner (24 Nov 2004)

Greenheart used to be used to make fishing rods before the advent of fibreglass etc.

That's all I know about it - sorry!


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## mahking51 (24 Nov 2004)

If you think I am starting a fishing rod from 30' x15"x15", think again!    
That really made me smile
Cheers
martin


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## mudman (24 Nov 2004)

> reenheart — Ocotea rodiaeai
> Grown in Guyana. A dense yellow/olive green to brown hardwood used for heavy construction such as bridges, marine and freshwater construction.



But I don't suppose you wanted to know that. :? 

Another quote is: Density ranges from an average of 160 kg per cubic metre for balsa to 1040 kg per cubic metre for greenheart...

Looks like you may have got the heaviest going. :shock: 

This one is a bit worrying:


> GREENHEART Other names demerara greenheart, Distribution Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela. Clour varies from yellow green to dark brown black. Very heavy density with high strength properties and resistance to shock, dries very slowly and tends to degrade. Not easy to work and blunting effect is moderate, Has a low acid content therefore does not corrode any metallic objects that are in contact. Weight 1030kg/m3 (64lb/ft3) SG = 1.03 Used in turnery for billiard cue butts, fishing rods, longbows and items where strength is required. An excellent polish finish can be obtained. Caution the splinters are poisonous and care should be taken to avoid these.



This link here has a picture.
Interesting that it suggests flooring. Could be a profitable way to go perhaps?


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## Taffy Turner (24 Nov 2004)

mahking51":38js5v0a said:


> If you think I am starting a fishing rod from 30' x15"x15", think again!
> That really made me smile
> Cheers
> martin



Huh - no ambition some people!!! :roll: 

You just need a 30' long lathe, a good sharp roughing gouge, and about 6 weeks! :wink: 

Alf - do you know where mahking51 can get a 30' long lathe?


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## Pete W (24 Nov 2004)

mahking51":2rt9czmo said:


> I have just bought for pennies several baulks of 130 year old greenheart



Now THAT's a gloat! .

Seems to me you should be building a boat. Or a workbench. 

Actually, with the quantities you got, you should be building us all a workbench


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## mahking51 (24 Nov 2004)

Boats are out

Specific Gravity 1.03 heavier than water equals SINKS!

I know, I know! I never did believe that Archy Medes guy!
Seriously, dropped a bit in the water - GONE!

Workbench is No 1 use that springs to mind or outside furniture

Cheers all
martin


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## Vormulac (24 Nov 2004)

... or an underwater city. Perfect.

I'll get me coat.

V.


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## Alf (24 Nov 2004)

Well I thought it was HMS Trincomalee that I should connect with greenheart, but it turns out that's Malabar teak. Nope, it's Captain Scott's RRS Discovery you should be making... (and that's easily the most difficult to find website I've ever come across)

More sensibly, garden furniture and similar outdoor stuff would seem ideal. Nice score.

Cheers, Alf


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## mahking51 (24 Nov 2004)

Alf
Great research
Now there's a project

Build a wooden icebreaker!

Superb excuse to SWMBO for a bigger workshop!
Martin


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## Chris Knight (24 Nov 2004)

Greenheart is traditionally used for harbour pilings and jetties. You could always glue your planks into useful baulks and sell them to a harbour maintenace contractor.. :lol:


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## Alf (24 Nov 2004)

waterhead37":3umk1vwh said:


> Greenheart is traditionally used for harbour pilings and jetties. You could always glue your planks into useful baulks and sell them to a harbour maintenace contractor.. :lol:


Ermm...?








mahking51":3umk1vwh said:


> If anyone says 'harbour pilings' I'm coming after them!.


You might want to start running now, Chris...





Cheers, Alf


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## Chris Knight (24 Nov 2004)

Just tie a lump of green heart to his ankle and he won't be going anywhere!


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## Anonymous (24 Nov 2004)

Martin, how about a VERY strong woodworking bench?


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## Anonymous (24 Nov 2004)

Martin

This sounds like good stuff for permanent garden structures. 

In our garden we have an established wisteria that has to be at least seventy years old. The original pergola was long gone and has now been replaced with treated timber. I am re-training the wisteria but it will certainly outlive the new pergola (hopefully even in my lifetime) and will be a hell of a job to train again when the pergola rots away.

I think there must be a market for everlasting plant frameworks.

Regards

Roy


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## mahking51 (24 Nov 2004)

Thought I might try and see if Lie Nielsen sells his chisels with out handles and make my own from ... guess what!

That'll only leave about 9 tons....

martin


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## Anonymous (24 Nov 2004)

Martin 

I got a large quantity of Greenheart from a harbour, and a pile of what turned out to be Jarra at 15 X 9 which was a pier deck.
I have renamed the Greenheart 'Breakyourheart' when I tried to turn a bowl and got a dig in with a 10mm bowl gouge and broke about 4mm off the end :shock: It is not too bad for spindle turning and i have sucessfully made a few Priests (The thing for clubbing fish over the head) with it, I suppose it can be an advantage for the enterprising turner when they sink. 
The only other real use I have found for it, apart from blunting tools quicker than rubbing them on granite is workshop jigs as it is really hard wearing . 
The Jarra was a different mattter. It is almost as hard but the end results make all the effort worthwhile, especially on the lathe.

Kelpie


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## tim (25 Nov 2004)

I was brought up in Sandbanks - I imagine that the groynes there are of the same stuff - takes me back a bit!!  Sad that they replace then with concrete ones! BTW when I was 12 I went sailing on a concrete yacht so SG clearly not important re boat building!!

What about a deck? The one I finished recently is in Ipe https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3169 which also sinks but makes great decking - goes a beautiful silver and needs no maintenance (but a bazillion pilot holes  ). I guess that whatever project you use it for your going to come across the same problem - working it, I think it may well be a machine eater.

Cheers

T


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## mahking51 (25 Nov 2004)

Interestingly enough, I've just put some 4x2 through my Axminster PT and taken very light cuts and it goes through no problem.

Beautiful fine finish, a bit like teak but a yellowish green tinge to it.

several pieces are almost completely black which looks great.

martin


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## tim (25 Nov 2004)

Be really careful of the dust - If its anything like Ipe it can really get you - very fine and irritating.

T


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## mahking51 (25 Nov 2004)

You just described my missus!


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## mahking51 (25 Nov 2004)

OOPS!
sorry all, will adjust image size and resolution in future.
How do I delete this oversize reply post please?


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## Anonymous (25 Nov 2004)

mahking51":1keqv6lj said:


> OOPS!
> sorry all, will adjust image size and resolution in future.
> How do I delete this oversize reply post please?



I deleted for you


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## mahking51 (25 Nov 2004)

Tony, thanks for binning my last post, here's another go!







Got five of these lumps on the poor trailer at 2.5 tonnes a load!
regards
martin


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## tim (25 Nov 2004)

> Got five of these lumps on the poor trailer at 2.5 tonnes a load!



Is that really any way to describe your helpers even with their hard hats on? :lol: 

T


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## DKMWT (1 Jan 2006)

Is there any left cause I could do with some for my lathe bench. And if so is there anybody out there that can help me get them to Plymouth cause my trike ain't very good at moving big stuff.


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## martyn2 (1 Jan 2006)

martin you were asking about a bridge in another post if thats still on you got some good posts ( still would like to see the fishing rod  )

martyn


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## MixedHerbs (2 Jan 2006)

If anyone out there wants some greenheart, the supplier I used has lots more. They are at Winkleigh Pine, Seckington Industrial Estate, Winkleigh in Devon. Phone number 01837 83832 and ask for Russell. (They are 43 miles from Plymouth.)

I would strongly suggest you get them to mill the stuff to exact dimensions because it's a pig to work with.

I know it seems obvious, but if thicknessing with a router, or just removing a lot of wood, go with the grain rather than across it. The dust is slightly reduced and the splitting effect of the bit seems to save bit-wear. These effects are amplified with greenheart.

The only tools I could use on the stuff were a half inch industrial router, a drill, a plane for smoothing (with a Samurai blade sharpened often), and a cabinet scraper to cope with the patches of wild grain. Also, the weight is phenomenal. I had to build jigs around the timber as it sat there sullenly on the floor. 

Regards, Peter.


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## DKMWT (3 Jan 2006)

Just been on to Russell sbout some greenheart. Trouble is it's going to cost a bit more then pennies. If I take a 20 foot length 12 x 12 he will let me have it for £220. Which due to me being out of work cause my job burned down in July last year is far beyond my budget. Does anyone know if there is anybody that has some for "pennies".


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## OPJ (5 Jan 2006)

tim":17y95zmg said:


> Be really careful of the dust - If its anything like Ipe it can really get you - very fine and irritating.
> 
> T



Good, I'm glad to see somebody has touched on this!

I've just had a look back through my notes from college (Toxic Woods) and Greenheart is probably *THE MOST LETHAL TIMBER* on this list!!

Reported adverse health affects include:
"splinters going sceptic; cardiac (your HEART) and intenstinal disorders; severe throat irritation".

I remember our tutor telling us how he was once working with a friend in a joiner's shop, who was happily turning away with some greenheart on the lathe. Turn around, he's lying on the floor and has gone into a cardiac arrest - all because of exposure to this particular dust! (He did survive.)

MDF may be bad enough... But greenheart couldreally kill you!


Common uses for the timber include:
Marine uses; Axe handles; factory flooring and sports goods.

*PLEASE, take ALL the precautions you can!!!*


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## KimG (23 Jul 2012)

I have had a lump of this stuff in my garden for about the last 6 years and decided to try something with it today, the piece was 7"X18"X24" a substantial lump, but only good for turning or small projects. I used an Axcaliber M2 HSS blade to cut it on the bandsaw and cut a 65mm section for a spindle blank, it turned nicely on the lathe but so far I only roughed it to a cylinder as the lathe is really on it's last legs and can't seem to run true regardless of what I adjust, once the new lathe arrives I will have a go at this, bearing in mind Olly's post too, I will be sure to wear an appropriate mask! Though this piece doesn't seem that dusty, compared to say, Iroko.

Be interesting to see how it compares to Teak for blunting tools, I found that to be the worst stuff ever.


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## deserter (23 Jul 2012)

As its used for marine uses could it not be kept damp whilst working it to minimise the dust and then clean out any raised grain at the end of the job?

As to what to use it for I reckon you have a new workshop and benches there just waiting to take shape. 

Or you could dig a canal through your garden and build a lock, then with the off cuts turn a fishing rod and make a stool to sit on whilst fishing in your own lock. 


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~


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## newt (23 Jul 2012)

OPJ":3kxcjn7v said:


> tim":3kxcjn7v said:
> 
> 
> > Be really careful of the dust - If its anything like Ipe it can really get you - very fine and irritating.
> ...




That is why it is used for piles it kills anything that try's to eat it, marine borers just can't survive. Splinters go septic.


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## woodbloke (23 Jul 2012)

The original date on this thread was *2004*. If my maths is correct, that must make it one of the oldest resurrected threads on record - Rob


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## KimG (24 Jul 2012)

Some odd properties in a lathe this stuff, I made a small straight sided box from a piece, the first thing I noted that was despite the rather dusty nature of the turnings, the heavy and dense nature of the wood persisted in the fine stuff and it settled really fast, pretty much just dropped to the bench, that same thing when sanding, virtually no aerosol type fine dust floating around.

It turns and sands to a very high finish really easily with a moderate to severe blunting effect (I had to resharpen an HSS gouge twice)

It degrades severely and rapidly, large cracks appearing in what was previously unmarked wood as it dried during the turning process, I rubbed some fine dust in and super-glued it in place, but not ideal really.

All in all a nice looking if rather plain grained wood, which is nice to work, but ultimately poor for the task, which probably explains why you don't see it advertised for turning blanks.

I will try making a Priest, perhaps that will degrade a little less.

I realise that this post would probably be more suited to the turning forum, but the thread is in here and as such it makes sense to post my results here I think. Move it though if you think it appropriate.


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