Collection: Turpentine Timber

Appearance of Turpentine Timber

Turpentine heartwood ranges from deep red to red-brown, contrasting with its distinctively paler, creamy sapwood. The texture is fine to medium, often with a wavy, interlocked grain. The timber is relatively free of gum veins, enhancing its structural and aesthetic appeal.

Applications of Turpentine Timber

Turpentine is widely recognized as the primary Australian timber for marine pilings, owing to its resistance to Teredinidae marine borers. Its engineering applications extend to wharf and bridge construction (both as sawn and round timber), railway sleepers, and mining timbers. In construction, it is used for house framing, flooring, decking, cladding, and lining. Turpentine's durability and aesthetic qualities make it an excellent choice for dance floors, joinery, parquetry, laminated beams, bench tops, and plywood. It is also employed in boatbuilding for knees, gunwales, planking, and decking, as well as in the production of oyster stakes, wine casks, mallets, and bearings.

Workability of Turpentine Timber

Turpentine is an extremely hard timber (rated 1 on a 6-class scale), which can make it challenging to work with hand tools. Its high silica content can be abrasive to machine cutters, necessitating frequent sharpening. Despite these challenges, turpentine readily accepts paint, stains, and polish, and it performs well with standard fastenings and fittings. However, the presence of extractives can make gluing relatively difficult.

Durability of Turpentine Timber

Turpentine timber exhibits exceptional durability, with an above-ground life expectancy exceeding 40 years and an in-ground life expectancy of 15 to 25 years. It is naturally resistant to termites and immune to lyctid borer attacks. Its resistance to marine borers makes it indispensable for marine environments. Untreated turpentine timber meets Australian bushfire standards as a fire-retardant equivalent.

Origin and Availability of Turpentine Timber

Turpentine is a common species found in New South Wales and southern Queensland. It is readily available in these regions, sourced from native forests.

Conclusion

Turpentine’s combination of durability, resilience, and versatility ensures its continued demand for both functional and decorative applications across various industries.