Greenheart Timber info?

[mahking51]

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

 

[Taffy Turner]

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

That's all I know about it - sorry!

 

[mahking51]

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

 

[mudman]

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?

 

[Taffy Turner]

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?

 

[Pete W]

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

 

[mahking51]

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

 

[Vormulac]

... or an underwater city. Perfect.

I'll get me coat.

V.

 

[Alf]

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

 

[mahking51]

Alf
Great research
Now there's a project

Build a wooden icebreaker!

Superb excuse to SWMBO for a bigger workshop!
Martin

 

[Chris Knight]

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:

 

[Alf]

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...?

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

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

Cheers, Alf

 

[Chris Knight]

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

 

[Anonymous]

Martin, how about a VERY strong woodworking bench?

 

[Anonymous]

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

 

[mahking51]

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

 

[Anonymous]

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

 

[tim]

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

 

[mahking51]

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

 

[tim]

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

T