Fox's Fine Furniture Australian made furniture in Australian native timbers

Timber Selection

OUR RECOMMENDED AUSTRALIAN NATIVE TIMBERS

Following is a brief description of the timbers we recommend for your furniture. We consider our range of timbers to be superior in functionality, colour, strength, durability and beauty. If treated with respect furniture made from our timbers will last many lifetimes.

FINISHES:

OIL FINISH is our preferred finish for furniture pieces that will not be subject to high wear or moisture like hall tables, consoles, bedroom furniture and cabinets. It offers a low sheen finish and the ‘feel’ is soft and smooth. The look is best described as mellow. However it does require maintenance with a furniture polish but is easily repaired if necessary.
POLYURETHANE SPRAY LAQUER: We use only the finest 2-pack polyurethane spray lacquer. We recommend that all heavy-duty furniture use this finish, a prime example being dining tables. Our finish is the hardest wearing surface available. It is moisture proof, hot coffee mugs will not mark it, and it doesn’t need furniture polish. It will always retain its 65% gloss finish. However, being a very hard surface, it can be scratched by sharp objects. If badly damaged it is not easy to repair without re-sanding and respraying. All that said it is a wonderfully durable and serviceable finish.

AUSTRALIAN RED CEDAR (ARC):

COLOUR: ARC is one of our most prized and expensive timbers. It ranges in colour from light red to dark red and dark red brown. All old ARC furniture will end up being darkish red brown.
WEIGHT: ARC is technically a hardwood but it is light in weight and is easily dented if hit. SUPPLY: ARC is limited in supply as it is a protected species in state forests and can only be milled if it is grown on private land.

BLACKBUTT (BB):

COLOUR: BB is generally a pale colour timber that has a typical eucalypt grain pattern. It is not unusual to have gum pockets and grain features. BB over time will become a beautiful honey colour.
WEIGHT: BB is a heavy hardwood, which means it is good for high work surfaces such as tabletops and benches.
SUPPLY: BB supply is reasonably healthy but quality furniture grade timber is sometimes hard to secure.

BLACKHEART SASSAFRAS (BHS):

COLOUR: BHS is a grey to light greenish timber that has a great range of ‘feature’ colours. These colours are formed by a fungus that colours the timber without damaging it. Its feature colour range includes black, dark and light brown to pinks and purples – very dramatic timber.
WEIGHT: BHS is a medium weight hardwood and is commonly used for furniture and craft items.
SUPPLY: BHS is a smallish tree that is not rare but is only selectively logged and therefore not abundant in supply.

BLACKWOOD (BW):

COLOUR: BW is one of the most popular species because of its great variety of colours and grain patterns. It is an Acacia (wattle) and its colours range from pale yellow to pinks and browns. Over time a BW piece will end up a teak colour with a variety of grain.
WEIGHT: BW is a medium weight hardwood that is ideal for furniture.
SUPPLY: BW is always in good supply and can be sourced from Queensland, NSW, Victoria and through to Tasmania.

SYDNEY BLUE GUM (SBG):

COLOUR: SBG has a range of colours in the mid-tones and can be dark pink through to light red. Long tern it tends to become rosy red with slight blue tones with a variety of eucalyptus grain pattern.
WEIGHT: SBG is a heavy weight timber and very hard. It can take a lot of hard wear.
SUPPLY: SBG is a common eucalypt and there are no supply difficulties.

HUON PINE (HP):

COLOUR: HP is an iconic timber and is the most expensive cabinet making timber in Australia, growing only in Tasmania. Colour ranges from very pale off-white to yellow. Over time it will become a light golden honey colour.
WEIGHT: HP is a light-weight timber, about average in weight to all ‘pines’.
SUPPLY: Supply of HP is restricted with no new harvesting of trees permitted. HP supply relies on salvaging of all logs from the bottom of lakes and rivers in Tasmania.

WA JARRAH (WAJ):

COLOUR: Jarrah is a beautiful red to reddish brown colour with a variety of grain patterns.
WEIGHT: Jarrah sits between Blackwood and Sydney Blue Gum in weight, making it excellent for furniture.
SUPPLY: Jarrah is plentiful in supply coming from vast plantations in WA.

TASMANIAN MYRTLE (TM):

COLOUR: TM is a beautiful pink colour and can sometimes have blue to purple grain patterns. Older TM furniture is usually a pink to golden pink colour and retains its blue to purple tones.
WEIGHT: TM is a mid-strength hardwood ideal for furniture.
SUPPLY: TM has no supply problems and is readily available.

RIVER RED GUM (RRG):

COLOUR: RRG can only be described as a rich red timber. Commonly having features such as gun pockets, fiddleback grain and wonderful eucalypt grain pattern.
WEIGHT: RRG is among the top heavyweights of Australian hardwoods. You will not destroy a RRG piece of furniture without the use of an axe.
SUPPLY: Our suppliers use eco-select harvesting of RRG and have done for over 100 years. Responsible harvesting ensures a solid supply but never a glut.


ROSE GUM or FLOODED GUM (RG):

COLOLUR: RG is a consistent light pink colour with eucalypt features of gum pockets, squiggly insect marks and grain patterns. Older furniture pieces remain pink, just a darker shade.
WEIGHT: RG is a heavy hardwood and a RG dinner table will be resistant to mild abuse such as raucous dinner parties.
SUPPLY: RG is a wide-ranging species and there are no supply problems.


VICTORIAN ASH / MOUNTAIN GUM / TASMANIAN OAK (VA):

COLOUR: VA is common range of eucalypt species that are marketed under the same name, each of which is indistinguishable from the others as sawn timber. White to lights in colour it will become a pale honey colour over time.
WEIGHT: VA is a medium weight hardwood and is widely used in furniture, commonly stained.
SUPPLY: VA is the most common species of Australian hardwood grown in plantations. Therefore supply is plentiful.