Karri (Eucalyptus Diversicolor)

[Jay Pique]

Anyone worked with karri before? I'm milling up a bunch of it for a staircase and it's the first exposure I've had to it. I was under the impression that it was jarrah when I first was told about the job, but I've since learned that it's a different species - slightly denser and harder, and a little bit lighter in color. This particular wood is reclaimed and has weathered to grey on the outside. Lots of surface checking, but it's not too deep. The stock is 8/4 and the checks go in about 1/4 or so on each side. Not a whole lot of bad end checking either, typically a couple three inches at each end.

In any event, I'm going to be gluing up some treads and was wondering what glue to use. I had planned to use Titebond II but I'm not tied to it. It's just handy cuz that's what we keep in the glue spreader. Also, is this stuff "toxic"? I've been wearing a mask and so far so good. Just wondering though.

Thanks. JP

[Andrew Barss]

Jay Pique wrote: : Anyone worked with karri before? I'm milling up a bunch of it for a : staircase and it's the first exposure I've had to it. I was under the : impression that it was jarrah when I first was told about the job, but : I've since learned that it's a different species - slightly denser and : harder, and a little bit lighter in color. This particular wood is : reclaimed and has weathered to grey on the outside. Lots of surface : checking, but it's not too deep. The stock is 8/4 and the checks go in : about 1/4 or so on each side. Not a whole lot of bad end checking : either, typically a couple three inches at each end.

I think you're talking about kauri, not karri. Try a web search on the former.

It's apparently a really good turning wood, with nice figure. Some kauri ("swamp kauri") is basically mined out of peat bogs, and is very dark and mineralized.

-- Andy Bartss

[John B]

G'day Jay, Sounds like Karri, a light coloured, close grained timber, as hard as the hobs of hell. I've seen it used floor floors quite a bit.

I have never had problems using PVA glues with our hardwoods but you may find this info interesting.

[Zz Yzx]

That "ancient Kauri" is 20,000 - 30,000 years old and costs WAY a lot.

At least the ancient stuff from "Ancientwood" is and does.

-Zz

[Peter Huebner]

Nope. Kauri is a totally different timber. Very soft, unsuited to stairs.

-P.

[Peter Huebner]

Swamp Kauri is way cheaper than modern. Which is about as common as hen's teeth since milling of it has been more or less banned entirely. More or less, that is. Last price I heard, over 10 years ago, was 10-12 grand a cubic meter.

[gloat] the bottom half of my timber rack is full of Kauri - given to me by a retired farmer who worked in a swamill 40+ years ago ;-)

-P.

[Peter Huebner]

Resorcinol has never failed me with any gum species. The colour should not be a problem with any of the reddish gums, I have used it with saligna, botryoides, (both called blue gum here) and with jarrah, as well as pilularis (blackbutt) where it does show a tad. I've used it for gluing up external stair treads from gum. No problems so far. I've had huge problems getting epoxies to grip on gum (as has a mate who used to do eucalypt joinery with epoxy and much of it is coming apart even though he used tetra to degrease it).

-P.

[Peter Huebner]

Heh, thanks for that link John, I feel vindicated in my opinion of epoxy now that I have a test result to back it up. :-)

Agree on the pva, by the way, I built a 2-seater from pilularis and saligna using Lamello bisquits and pva 6 years ago that's been used as a jungle Gym by a couple of kids since - still holding up.

The Lamello bisquits are made from beech and are much stronger than those crappy Bix ones i.m.o. - I only ever bought 1 box of Bix and ended up giving them away ... some of them were as floppy as wet cardboard.

-Peter