Eucalyptus ..

[Keithie]

We had a 30 yr old Eucalytpus tree in the garden last year which was getting too big ...so had it felled and logged.

Chopped all of it to firewood logs except for 4 logs of about 6ft by 1ft.

I've read many of the eucalyptus threads on here but wondered in anyone has any suggestions..

1. The large logs lying on the ground have split in many places mostly from one end right to the other and in some cases right through to the pith.

2. The small logs chopped up for the woodshed won't burn in our logburner ...even though they are dry to the touch all the way through (when you split them open) and even when the fire is roaring with beechwood and pine seasoned logs....the eucalytus just goes black a bit and splits.

3. It turns really nicely ...lovely streamers coming off it, but even being incredibily careful I cant make a good small tea light holder without a stringy bit (typically 1/2-1" long and 1/16-1/32 wide) deciding to leap out of the wood for no reason ... once even when just planing down the cylinder by a whisker with a skew.

4. There's not much in the way of figure and liberon finishing oil makes the end grain go a muddy colour.

5. If it wasn't for the tiny stringy bits that just fall out scattered throughout the wood it comes to a lovely smooth finish and might be nice for painting!

Has anyone got any good ideas for what to do with eucalyptus (given that I can't get my log burner hot enough to burn it!) or good experiences with turning it ?

I read about soaking it in water and then trying turning it, in the hope that the stringy grain would stay together better ...but cant see why this would work ...has anyone tried that ?

Anyways ... any ideas or positive experiences would be welcome ..

cheers
Keith

 

[CHJ]

Use it for practice and to improve your tool control and clean up your tools and machine well after use.

 

[AndyT]

There are lots of species of Eucalyptus but it sounds like yours might be one where the only commercial use is in pulping it to make paper. Not much of a hobby!

 

[woodpig]

There are apparently over 700 varieties of eucalyptus but we always tend to end up with the Cider Gum over here. :roll:

 

[Keithie]

Thanks Chas ...think you're right there ...it's possbly the least useful wood I've come across ...but practice material is at least something!

I hadnt realised there were so many varieties ...no idea if it's cider gum...tho round here in 'cider land' it'd be appropriate!

Even the bark, which can be pretty on some eucalytus trees by the looks of it online, is a plain tatty reddish brown which used to peel off the tree for no obvious reason and hang in ugly hunks! The only redeeming feature was the entertainment value in our neighbour becoming increasingly vexed about how it loomed over his garden...but it had to go! Probably right about the paper, Andy ... if only the local paper mlll hadnt closed down recently! .. and hand made paper does indeed seem like a hobby too far! ...I wonder if it can be made into rayon or some fabric material!

I guess I could maybe sell chunks of it to folk as fire bricks for kilns and log burners !

ah well!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I burned mine in a multi fuel no problem at all. Not perfect, but certainly not impossible.
8" diameter when we bought the house, well over 2' when the people I sold the house to had it cut down 21 years later.
I hope they didn't get any heave after it - it was only ten feet from the house.

 

[Keithie]

After checking some pics, Woodpig, I think you're right ...it looked just like eucalyptus gunni ..cider gum ! nice one!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Mine was a different eucalypt. Mine had near round leaves. When you realise they live from the north of Oz to the south of Tasmania, it stands to reason that different varieties will have different characteristics.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Both round and elongated leaves can be found on the same variety. Some types at least will produce round leaves on new growth after cutting back hard, but will have elongated leaves later. All the eucalyptus I have had has been excellent burning wood, and eucalyptus is grown as fuel in lots of places (e.g Portugal). Are you sure it is dry ?

 

[dickm]

+1 for are you sure it's dry. Had one of those in the garden of our last house and lopped branches burned fine after a few months sheltered storage. Maybe try stacking a few logs near the stove for a while and see how they go?

 

[Keithie]

Well, I know that I dont know much about eucalyptus ... I didnt even know what type I had ...but do now!

As for dry ... it was felled about 8 months ago, so not seasoned.
Also, not tried a moisture meter as I dont have one ...but dry (ie not damp) to the touch.
I'll try putting some next to the aga for a week or so and see what they're like for the fire after that.

My, possibly wrong, understanding from my relatives in Perth & Sydney is that Eucalyptus is often used as fire break planting out there ... but maybe they were teasing me!

 

[CHJ]

I believe certain species are used as a wind break to slow the spread of wind born sparks, due to the way it's canopy thrashes about and causes local turbulance not because it won't burn.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Many species have fire resistant bark. I read in a mensa magazine about 20 years an article on unforeseen consequences, and one was that forest fires were made worse by the very people paid to try to control them. Years before fires had raced through at ground level because of the bone dry tinder - small twigs, branches and leaves - and actually did good as they got rid of the rubbish, and opened many seed pods up which couldn't germinate otherwise. Fine until some bright spark ( #-o ) decides it's unwise to leave this stuff there. So what happens when they clear it? Instead of whipping through at ground level burning easily combustible resinous twigs and leaves, the fires burned longer and hotter in one place taking the fire up through the branches into the canopy where it blew through much as it did at ground level before, only now it couldn't be extinguished and burned the growing tips killing the trees. Apparently the modus operandi now is to leave well alone.

 

[Keithie]

Just read a bit more and it's just as you say Chas ... they deflect the sparks and wind so reduce rate of firespread .. hence the role as a firebreak .. with hindsight obviously once the bark burns the gum is going to be flammable ! I've no idea why I assumed they didnt burn!!

I learned a bit about that Phil while I was out at Yosemite..and its like you say ...the low rumbling fire in the brush doesnt always get hot enough to burn through the tree bark ...so things can often be more self contained. Also the whole natural regeneration of woodland in some parts is promoted by smaller regular fires that take out the fast growing conifers who hog the light but promote the germination of seed from other species...increasing the natural biodiversity ..or at least trying to limit monoculture ! Its quite like why National Parks here swale to fire the gorse back and let the heather come through. One of my favourite parts of this theme is the adaptation of the giant sequoia... they have really thick very tannic bark that's strongly fireretardant and as soon as they get above the conifers they can act as lightning conductors... literally bringing down the fire from the sky to wipe out their competitors and germinate their own seed, having created the space andlight for them...pretty smart stuff!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My daughter hasn't long done her degree field trip to Yosemite. Amazing place.

 

[Keithie]

She's a lucky woman then Phil! ... we've only spent a total of 12 nights there over the years ...but have stayed in the tents at camp curry, the cabins and at Wawona & the Ahwahnee .. but the wider area itself is so amazing ..it's one of the few places we've found that really helps you understand the meaning of the word 'delightful'

 

[Dinky78]

Interesting how those Sequoia work. As they become big and powerful they become able to wipe out challengers and make room for more like themselves. That's the foreseeable natural order of things.

Though in human society some are taught checks & balances ...lest we return to despots and holocausts!

 

[andygc]

It can be an interesting wood. It contains a lot of water when freshly felled and distorts a lot as it dries. The usual allowance for green turning is far too little. This is a 12 inch diameter bowl. It's only half an inch thick, but the green-turned blank was a couple of inches thick, and very oval when it dried. Sorry the photos aren't better.