Wood
Putting weeds to good use.
We realised that invasive plants could be a source of interesting woods to work with. Eucalyptus has been around for a while, but was mostly used as firewood and for construction. We turned that around and made some dazzling pieces for customers. So we put these delinquent plants to proper use after they drank all the water.
But we do not stop there. We will bring epoxy, cement, metals, stone, glass and wood together to make awesomeness in everyday life.
We also use more main stream woods like French Oak, Blackwood, Pine and many others when required.
Sugargum
Eucalyptus has been declared an invasive weed that should be eradicated in South Africa. This very hard wood has been sourced from Australia and used as a construction wood for many years because it is a fast grower, and it is very hard.
We found Sugargum (Cladocalyx) to be particularly pleasing and suitable to the trends of today.
This Honey Blond wood is very hard and durable, and is easily comparable to light Oak in appearance. Whilst it is still easily available today, it will become a lot harder to find proper specimens in the near future.
When we look for options, we look at sustainable, and the optimum use of resources. Upgrading this wood from a firewood to a De Luxe furniture piece is a no brainer for us. This wood is rather hard to work with, have tricky grains, is heavy to handle, but the result is a worthy reward.
Red River Gum
Today Eucalyptus, primarily as Saligna, or Bluegum, is finding a new foot in the door. Decking and outdoor furniture, but now also indoor furniture
Bluegum and Saligna, in the South African wood market is a rather collective name for a number of Eucalyptus trees. The large number of trees in this species
is not known to many people, and can lead to confusion. Names like Cherry Gum, Draai Gum, Diversicolor, etc. are sometimes just seen as Bluegum.
Incidentally, the Bluegum name refers to the blue haze around the forests seen from a distance, and gum from the sticky excretions from the bark.
Poplar
White poplar has been declared an invasive weed that should be eradicated in South Africa, especially Mpumalanga. This light wood has been sourced from Europe and used as a construction wood for many years because it is a fast grower. It has mostly been downgraded to shading and windbreaks.
Many growths of poplar suffers from core rot, making it not suitable for any decorative application. We sourced a nice dry batch of poplar and the results astounded us.
This wood is light and soft, although not as soft Pine. It can therefore be used for solid wood furniture items. The colour is young and fresh.
Cypress
Cypress was planted in The Tokai forest to learn and experiment with this wood. This light wood has been sourced from Europe and used as a construction wood as it is a fast grower. This tree has not been widely planted in South Africa, and is therefore mostly imported.
We sourced some of the Cypress that was cut from Tokai before it became a controversial issue. The wood is nice and dry and quite stable for furniture making.
This wood is light and soft, although not as soft Pine.
It can therefore be used for solid wood furniture items. The colour is young and fresh, and makes stunning surfaces.
