Hardwoods - SORTED NOW

[Alexam]

Want to get some hardwood timber in the Oxford area tomorrow and wondered if there is a good timber merchant or 'Yarnolds' type place in that area please.

Sorted now as Chrispy replied to me. He has loads of various timbers and only just over an hour from Solihull and south of Oxford.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Deep in Wood, Abingdon is good, according to a friend of mine.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks Phil, although I had planned to go to Deep in Wood on my way back from seeing Chrispy, he had absolutely loads of other timber that I could sort through and even more that I could but could not get at. I came away with half the Laburnum plus loads of other stuff. He's worth a visit if you are nearby as he has years of lumber stored and dried that he will never get round to using, but also says that Deep in Wood is OK, although not always with a lot of stock. Perhaps I'll look in next time I am around Oxford way.
Malcolm

 

[custard]

I came away with half the Laburnum

Is the Laburnum sawn boards in furniture dimension lengths, or is it shorter, smaller logs? And if it is in boards, are they golden/pale brown or the dark brown deep heartwood?

 

[Alexam]

Cut to boards dark brown with nice figuring now that I have planed them up today. Chris also has an enormous amount of timber that he has built up over the years and says he will not get round to using it.However, it is stored on racks that are diffiult to get to. Best idea would be to call Chris and explain what you are looking for. He canthen get it down for you to view and if you dont want it someone else will. There are a couple of other timberyards nearby, which I intended to visit but found enough with Chris. I can pop in next time. It's not easy to find Chris, so be careful to get directions and take your phone in case you have problems. Photo of the Laburnum .........

Malcolm

 

[custard]

Very nice and very interesting!

I saw some Edward Barnsley pieces where, towards the end of his career, he started using Laburnum and Holly in inlays instead of Ebony and Holly. I really liked the look and followed suite. I've often toyed with the idea of making some complete pieces out of Laburnum (apart from Bog Oak it's the darkest UK wood available) and have squirrelled away the odd board as I've found them.

The problem is that I hear conflicting stories about how toxic Laburnum is and if I make a complete piece that issue couldn't be dodged. Some say it's only certain parts of the tree, some say it's the entire tree but only mildly, and some say it's the entire tree and at quite a high level of toxicity. As a commercial maker I'd be duty bound to spell this out to a potential client and I suspect they'd run a mile.

PM sent by the way.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It might be toxic to breathe the dust, eat the pods and so on, but unless a child decides to chew the legs off your laburnum table I can't see the danger. I remember reading somewhere that yew dust could kill you - if you ate more than 3 1/2 oz. of the stuff.
I appreciate the problems from a commercial outlook, but it's the way of the world now that every little thing we touch or eat has some sort of danger attached. I wouldn't hesitate to make my own stuff from it.
I did find this - Cytosine is present primarily in the flowers, seeds and roots. - no mention of the wood? I tried eating a seed pod when I was about 11 - I didn't like the taste, so spat it out. Just as well, really.

 

[Alexam]

Well custard,

that could be very true and all the boards you have squireled away should not be used at all. I will help you out and take all of them off your hand for free. I dont expect you to pay me for this service. Just let me know when it's best to call around.

Malcolm

 

[custard]

It might be toxic to breathe the dust, eat the pods and so on, but unless a child decides to chew the legs off your laburnum table I can't see the danger. I remember reading somewhere that yew dust could kill you - if you ate more than 3 1/2 oz. of the stuff.
I appreciate the problems from a commercial outlook, but it's the way of the world now that every little thing we touch or eat has some sort of danger attached. I wouldn't hesitate to make my own stuff from it.
I did find this - Cytosine is present primarily in the flowers, seeds and roots. - no mention of the wood? I tried eating a seed pod when I was about 11 - I didn't like the taste, so spat it out. Just as well, really.

Like I say, opinions vary. This article for example states "All parts of the tree are poisonous: roots, bark, wood, leaves, flower-buds, petals, and seedpods.", and it also mentions that the Lancet records 3000 hospital admissions a year due to Laburnum poisoning, even though the article goes on to conclude it's less poisonous than nicotine.

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/l ... roides.htm

Personally I think you're right, I've been handling Laburnum for several years now with no ill effects, and I doubt the V&A will soon be destroying their 17th century masterpieces made from laburnum oysters. However, selling a piece of Laburnum furniture to someone with an asthmatic child, or anyone else who might be at heightened risk, well that doesn't bear thinking about. So I guess it's personal projects only for this particular timber!

 

[galleywood]

In my very limited experience, I have not seen Laburnum - what is it about it that makes it sought after?

 

[custard]

I have not seen Laburnum - what is it about it that makes it sought after?

It'll have different attractions for different makers but there are a few things that make Laburnum a bit special,

-It's the darkest wood (aside from Bog Oak) naturally available in the UK, in terms of appearance it's closer to a rainforest exotic than a British hardwood.
-Laburnum has a long heritage, I mentioned restoration furniture but it was also a favourite of the original Arts & Crafts makers.
-It's not a commercial timber (no one grows Laburnum for timber and it's never sold in the larger timber yards) so it's unusual. If you're an independent maker you're always hunting for a point of difference to justify why a client should buy from you rather than say Heals, these rarer timbers are one solution to that problem.

Just a shame it comes with an asbestos style health warning!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's also a beautiful wood to turn - good physically and good to look at.

 

[Alexam]

The only Laburnum I have used before is this half log box with two drawers. It is only 15cm diameter, but when I saw the advert, I knew I wanted more. Sorry the quality of image is not the best. Click on image for larger view.