Tasmanian Oak is light in color. The heartwood varies from a straw color to a reddish brown. The sapwood contains shades of cream to pink. The grain is usually straight and open. It is occasionally coarse-grained or fiddle-backed. The texture is smooth and uniform.

BOTANICAL NAME:

ORIGIN:

Australia – Tasmania and central to Eastern Victoria.

COMMON NAMES:

Eucalyptus delegatensis – Alpine Ash, White-Top, Woollybutt; Eucalyptus obliqua – Messmate Stringybark, Brown-Top Stringybark; and Eucalyptus regnans – Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Stringy Gum, Swamp Gum

JANKA HARDNESS:

1350

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:

Information currently unavailable

RELATIVE ABUNDANCE:

The most commercially available timber in Australia.

INTERESTING FACTS:

Eucalypts are light demanding and grow best where they are not overshadowed. Regeneration occurs after fire, and seedlings establish best on bare mineral soil in the absence of leaf litter. In Tasmania, eucalypts may live for 400 years or more. True forest giants they can attain heights of 320 feet, but average 245 feet with average diameters of 8 feet.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Tasmanian Oak is light in color. The heartwood varies from a straw color to a reddish brown. The sapwood contains shades of cream to pink. The grain is usually straight and open. It is occasionally coarse-grained or fiddle-backed. The texture is smooth and uniform.

COLOR CHANGE:

Tasmanian Oak / Victorian Ash over time undergoes a slight degree of color change with a muting of the overall color variation and an ambering of the straw colors to a slightly darker tan

MAIN USES:

Tasmanian Oak wood is used in flooring, cabinet making, paneling, veneers, plywood and fine furniture making.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Tasmanian Oak is not naturally resistant to termites. The sapwood is susceptible to Lyctid and therefore is usually sold free of sapwood.

WORKING PROPERTIES:

Tasmanian Oak is highly resilient and relatively easy to work with. The wood glues satisfactorily and nails hold well, but pre-drilling is often necessary. Tasmanian Oak is easily sanded to a smooth and lustrous finish. The wood accepts stain and most finishes adhere well.