Blue Gum Eucalyptus

[bikefoolery]

Does anyone have experience working with Blue Gum Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus)? 

 - Does it go by other  common names?

 - Experience drying it in a solar kiln?

 - Working with the material? (Sawing? Routing?)

 - finishing (seems pretty oily)?

 - or resources to read?

 

There is a stand that will be felled in my back yard.  These tree are large (100ft tall, 2-4ft diameter trunks) On the west coast in California, USA  it was deemed "commercially non-viable" long ago, but some times that just means there's quite a bit of waste, or takes too much time to deal with.  There could have been advances is drying techniques since then.  Well, I can deal with "takes time" time and waste; this is a hobby.  Otherwise it's just going to become mediocre firewood.  I was considering getting a chainsaw mill and setting some slabs aside.  

 

I've hand planed down some of the blue gum firewood from previous trees.  the grain is quite nice, although there are pea sized voids or pockets (epoxy can fix that I think).  I'd love to find a way to make some rustic-ish log slab benches and tables with it. 

 

Any advice is welcome.

 

Thanks,

-josh

 

PS, professionals will be cutting and lowering the trees to the ground.   I have no desire to climb trees. I'm dealing with them after they are down.

[Tpt life]

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/blue%20mahoe.htm

Not sure if this answers any questions, but this is one place I go for info.

[Tom Crawford]

here is information on the Eucalyptus in California.  http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jan/15/how-eucalyptus-came-california/

 

Here is the bad news from the article  

it was found that the trees were too young to make suitable wood; the young wood had an irregular grain and it bent, cracked, and shrank when dried. It is true that eucalyptus trees from Australia could make good timber, but those trees were decades or sometimes centuries old. It was soon found that eucalyptus trees would need to be at least 75 or 100 years old for good lumber. The young wood didn’t even make useable fence posts or railroad track ties, both of which decayed rapidly.

[RPCV_Woodworker]

You have nothing to lose but time.

 

I'd have it all sawn, and if it turn out not to be great, use it for mock-ups (or anything else you'd use lower quality wood for)

[Gene M.T.]

I have stayed away from it because of it's reputation for being very unstable.  It gows very fast and is commonly grown as wind breaks.

[amess612]

don't know if this is ture or not but have been told that is got a high silica content and can be real hard on blades best air dried for three or four years

[wdwerker]

I have never used it but having a fair knowledge of botany I looked over the US Forrest service report on it . They think it makes good firewood.

Hobbit House has plenty of pictures and some info.

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/blue%20gum.htm

[phinds]

Does anyone have experience working with Blue Gum Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus)? 

 - Does it go by other  common names?

 

you should get my free wood name database. Here''s Eucalyptus Globulus

 

alcanfor (mexico)

australische koortsboom (australia, south america)

bac ha (vietnam)

balluk (australia)

bla eukalyptus (south america)

blaue eukalyptus (germany)

blauer gummibaum (germany)

blaugummibaum (germany)

bloekom (africa)

blue gum, tasmanian

bluegum

bluegum, tasmanian

buis batard (australia)

eucalipto

eucalipto azul (south america, spain)

eucalipto blanco (ecuador)

eucalipto gigante (mexico)

eucalipto globulo (portugal)

eucalitto blu (italy, south america)

eucalitto globuloso (italy, south america)

eucalyptus (india)

eucalyptus bleu (france, south america)

eucalyptus, blue-gum (hawaiian islands)

eucalyptus, brun a clair (hawaiian islands)

eucalyptus, tasmania blue (hawaiian islands)

eucalyptus, tasmanian blue

eurabbie

eurabbie, victorian

evkalipt sharvidnyj (ussr)

febertrad (australia, south america)

fieberbaum (germany)

globulus

gommeiro azul (brazil)

gommier bleu (france)

gommier bleu de tasmanie (australia)

gum, blue (australia, india, south africa, south america)

gum, blue spotted (australia)

gum, gippsland blue (australia)

gum, maiden (australia, madagascar, brazil)

gum, maiden's

gum, southern blue (south america, australia)

gum, spotted (south africa)

gum, spotted blue (australia)

gum, tasmanian (australia)

gum, tasmanian blue (australia, south africa, south america)

gum, victorian blue

haritaparna (india)

karupuramaram (india)

nilagiri mara (india)

nilaniryasa (india)

ocalo (mexico)

sugandhapatra (india)

tailaparna (india)

tailaparnah (india)

victorian eurabbie