Woodworking With Jarrah - Get to Know the Versatile Australian Timber
If you're looking for an all-around type of wood for your next project, Australia's jarrah may just be the right one for you.
Capable of growing up to 130 feet with a trunk that's as wide as 10 feet in diameter, this type of wood is known to be just as dense and heavy as the famous Honduran mahogany.
Considered as one of the exotic woods in North America, it is known for creating gorgeous floorings and furniture which can last for years.
If you're going to do some woodworking with jarrah, here are a few things you should know.
The Appearance of Jarrah At first glance, you'll notice that jarrah has some similarities with mahogany because it too has a reddish shade; sapwoods will first look pink to deep red and gradually turns to brown as it ages.
The heartwood of jarrah is dark, and somewhat brownish-red.
Jarrah also has dark brown flick marks which make the wood look unique.
In some varieties of jarrah, the wood will have a few black streaks instead.
As the wood keeps aging, you'll notice that it will look even more like mahogany with its dark shade.
Don't be shocked if you have a bit of color variation across a board's length or find it dark on one side and with light pink shades on the other end.
You can basically even out the shade by using a simple lacquer finish to dull shades of light red or yellow.
To ensure the best match in color, try to get your stocks from the same supplier since it will increase the chances of getting boards that come from the same tree.
The Grain of Jarrah When woodworking with jarrah, you will notice that it has a very distinct grain pattern.
Jarrah's grain is wavy and closely interlocked; it also has a coarse texture which varies in color between boards.
Because of this, you will need to match boards according to color and also according to grain type.
One of the things you should be careful about is accidentally matching two boards according to the right color, but end up having the wrong grain.
This is a very common mistake which usually happens when you're mixing boards which are backsawn or quartersawn together.
If you're worried on encountering this problem, simply organize your boards and stack them according to groups and even write a code at the board's endgrain.
Strength and Durability of Jarrah When it is properly dried, your jarrah wood can actually hold up to about 16,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of bending strength, with approximately 1700 psi in terms of its crushing strength.
If ever your jarrah stock is air-dried, it will still have similar properties in terms of strength.
If in case you're worried on getting an insect infestation, you'd be happy to know that jarrah naturally resists insects such as the powder post beetle, the marine borer, and the common termite.
Oh, and in case you didn't know it yet, the wood taken from jarrah is fire and even rot resistant.
Care and Maintenance of Jarrah If you've decided to work with jarrah, you also need to know the type of maintenance it needs.
The first thing you should know is that jarrah doesn't do well if it always gets direct sunlight because it turns into a powdery yellow shade.
When woodworking with jarrah, you'd want to keep its color so simply treat the wood every 4-6 months using either a wax or varnish that's designed for it.
With proper maintenance, your jarrah furniture may last up to 50 years and still have that beautiful, vibrant color.
Capable of growing up to 130 feet with a trunk that's as wide as 10 feet in diameter, this type of wood is known to be just as dense and heavy as the famous Honduran mahogany.
Considered as one of the exotic woods in North America, it is known for creating gorgeous floorings and furniture which can last for years.
If you're going to do some woodworking with jarrah, here are a few things you should know.
The Appearance of Jarrah At first glance, you'll notice that jarrah has some similarities with mahogany because it too has a reddish shade; sapwoods will first look pink to deep red and gradually turns to brown as it ages.
The heartwood of jarrah is dark, and somewhat brownish-red.
Jarrah also has dark brown flick marks which make the wood look unique.
In some varieties of jarrah, the wood will have a few black streaks instead.
As the wood keeps aging, you'll notice that it will look even more like mahogany with its dark shade.
Don't be shocked if you have a bit of color variation across a board's length or find it dark on one side and with light pink shades on the other end.
You can basically even out the shade by using a simple lacquer finish to dull shades of light red or yellow.
To ensure the best match in color, try to get your stocks from the same supplier since it will increase the chances of getting boards that come from the same tree.
The Grain of Jarrah When woodworking with jarrah, you will notice that it has a very distinct grain pattern.
Jarrah's grain is wavy and closely interlocked; it also has a coarse texture which varies in color between boards.
Because of this, you will need to match boards according to color and also according to grain type.
One of the things you should be careful about is accidentally matching two boards according to the right color, but end up having the wrong grain.
This is a very common mistake which usually happens when you're mixing boards which are backsawn or quartersawn together.
If you're worried on encountering this problem, simply organize your boards and stack them according to groups and even write a code at the board's endgrain.
Strength and Durability of Jarrah When it is properly dried, your jarrah wood can actually hold up to about 16,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of bending strength, with approximately 1700 psi in terms of its crushing strength.
If ever your jarrah stock is air-dried, it will still have similar properties in terms of strength.
If in case you're worried on getting an insect infestation, you'd be happy to know that jarrah naturally resists insects such as the powder post beetle, the marine borer, and the common termite.
Oh, and in case you didn't know it yet, the wood taken from jarrah is fire and even rot resistant.
Care and Maintenance of Jarrah If you've decided to work with jarrah, you also need to know the type of maintenance it needs.
The first thing you should know is that jarrah doesn't do well if it always gets direct sunlight because it turns into a powdery yellow shade.
When woodworking with jarrah, you'd want to keep its color so simply treat the wood every 4-6 months using either a wax or varnish that's designed for it.
With proper maintenance, your jarrah furniture may last up to 50 years and still have that beautiful, vibrant color.
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