Australian Ringed Gidgee Blocks

The Timber Joint

The Timber Joint

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For those who missed out last time, I have just added more Ringed Gidgee Blocks to my website. These have been selling fast as a few guys are gearing up for upcoming knife shows.

Remember, these are cut from long dead trees, and have a moisture content of between 7-11% The blocks are very dry, hard and dense.
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Thanks for looking

Peter

http://www.thetimberjoint@bigpond.com
Queensland
Australia
 
What is the specific gravity number for this species? Is this species known by any other names? I know it is in the Acacia family and a relative of Hawaiian Koa.
 
In case you don't get any other replies it's supposed to be on par with desert ironwood, if I'm not mistaken.
 
specific gravity is somewhere between .95 - 1.00

IE it is quite heavy, but not the heaviest . Also very high Janka hardness (i.e. how hard to dent it) - probably in top three for hardest woods.

It is an acacia like Koa, but lives in areas without much water, so in that way it is like Ironwood...

It is not quite as chatoyant as Koa, but does have beautiful curls, and it is very tough. Doesn't have to be stabilized

Bill
 
I was curious about the SG so I could properly calibrate my moisture meter when checking samples going out to K&G. It's good to know it doesn't need to be stabilized but since I have a pile of other woods going I might as well send the Gidgee too.
 
I think Mark at Burlsource may have had some Gidgee stabilized at one point, so he may have an idea if it is worthwhile or not.

Im guessing it wouldn't soak up much of the resin, kinda like desert ironwood.
 
Shawn McIntyre uses a lot of it. He told me he has it stabilized (and Bill is right, probably doesn't soak up a lot of resin) because it cuts down on dust when shaping and finishing the handle.

So, that would be a reason to do so from a knife maker's standpoint.

I am a big fan of it. When finished, can give such a rich look.

- Joe
 
My question was never whether or not I should stabilize it. I was just curious about the proper SG number to plug into my meter so I know when it's ready to send off to K&G.
 
i4marc K&G will not be able to stabilize gidgee. it is extremely dense all of the cells that are normally open in most species are full of oils in this one. it's closest comparison as far as density is Arizona Iron wood. all of the gidgee I have purchased from them has been under 8% moisture.
 
Several times both here and in other forums Burl Source said it's one of the few woods he won't spend money on to have stabilized.

The wood database lists the SG for gidgee at pretty much the same span as desert ironwood.

It's been compared several times to the strength characteristics of ADI but with the look of Koa. Sounds good to me. After digging up what I could everything sounded right. Ordered three blocks.

And several people have said it takes about 10 days to get from Australia to the US.

And I have only read good things about The Timber Joint. He's one of the only people sourcing the wood because it's fairly rare, hard to find good stuff, and a pain to get from the outback to a processing center.

I guess the ringed stuff differs in its quality depending in where it grows. Some places have a flat and kind of bland look while only a few places produce the deeply chatoyant examples seen here.

And the US to AUD exchange rate is good for us Americans but the shipping charges are pretty steep.
 
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I've purchased RG, Budgeroo and Dead Finnish from The Timber Joint and none of it needed stabilizing. It was dry and ready to work and beautiful stuff!
 
I have some RG that I previously bought from The Timber Joint. Since it is so rare I am saving them for "special projects". I just ordered some more. As far as stabilizing goes, I believe you that it is not necessary to do, however, I got this message from Mark at Burl Source:

"Ringed gidgee stabilizes nicely. It does not fill existing cracks. Not a lot of weight gain but helps to prevent checking."


There seems to be some conflicting opinions. I'm going to send the Gidgee off with my other woods. Whatever the stabilizing can add to Gidgee's already desirable qualities will just be a bonus.
 
I'd probably take Mark's word if he thinks stabilizing helps :thumbup:

As for the the Timber Joint, Peter and Kim are SUPER nice people, and very accommodating . Sure, shipping is a little pricey (but remember the Aussie dollar "discount" - which is running at about 30% off!) but they ship promptly, and you have to sign for wood and can track it.

Quick story - I went to Australia at the end of last year, and I had ordered some wood from them. They offered to ship it to my Hotel in Australia, which was much cheaper than to States of course ! Went smooth as silk, package was there when I checked in and I brought it home in my luggage :D

Highly recommend them :thumbup::thumbup:

Bill
 
Weigh it before and after and tell us the results. The three times I have done this test to two different professional companies and one home based there has been absolutely no weight change in any of the blocks, so I will be curious to hear your results.
 
If these have the same density as ironwood and kingwood and other really dense wood and are decently oily, I don't see why anyone would need to stabilize it any more than ironwood or kingwood or any other oily hardwood. Unless I'm missing something.

What I do know is that people charge (and pay) more for stabilized blocks and if I'm not mistaken stabilizers charge by the amount of stabilizing resin absorbed. If nothing is absorbed, it still got sent to the stabilizers and only a very small amount was charged. So people can charge more and people will pay more and the wood will be basically the same with the advertising line of being stabilized.

I, too, am curious if there's any weight change after he gets it back.

And to be honest, in my limited experience I've not seen much stabilized wood that was chatoyant or deeply figured. Most seemed dead flat and any shimmer or shine came from any oils applied after sanding rather than the wood itself.

Maybe that's why some examples of ringed gidgee seems kind of flat looking and some have some serious shimmer.

Back to the sales thread, I can't wait to get the three blocks I ordered. I'd like to think I got three of the prettiest blocks on the website.
 
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I hope this bumps this thread to the top.

Holy shit, man, I just received three blocks and a set of scales from The Timber Joint and these are some of the prettiest pieces I've ever seen. Ever. They're dense, don't absorb water from what I can tell.

The chatoyancy is remarkable. Once I wet them down and put them in sunlight I actually had to touch a piece to remember that it's cut flat. Seriously.

I'm definitely going to be buying some more from this guy.

I ordered on March 16 and they arrived March 28. Freaking beautiful man.
 
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