Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am going to be milling these logs which were once a magnificent Californian Redwood tree and there is a good chance I will be getting some more (a few truck loads).



This wood is excellent for AP. Before they started making greenhouses out of steel or aluminium Californian Redwood used to be one of the woods of choice for timber framed greenhouses. The main reason being it is naturally rot and termite resistant even in the highly humid environment of a greenhouse. It is also very easy to work being light and within reason takes screws or nails without any need to predrill.



Californian redwood would be my first choice of wood for AP because of its rot resistance, workability and price. Australian native hard woods are stronger but they are seriously more expensive. Similar equivilents would be Monterey Cypress or Australian Cypress Pine but these woods are harder to work (prone to splitting) and less stable (more likely to shrink, expand, twist).



It is also a very beautiful wood and while it is commonly used for landscaping and external timber use it makes for lovely light weight furniture and beautiful dark honey coloured paneling (you should see my uncles house in the Otways gorgeous.

If the deal comes off with a local plantation I am going to be selling this wood for AP systems, making up some GB and FT kits (mind you it is pretty good for furniture and any timber use outside in the weather or inside for that matter). For now it is just the timber from these logs.

Before I go to the effort and expense of milling them I am hoping to pre sell some of the timber.

The price will be roughly $750/m3 for material that is ~50mm to 100mm thick. If you want boards that are thinner then the price will need to go up a bit. Australian Cypress Pine generally is sold for $800-$1000/m3 but may be as high as $1375/m3 from evil green hardware stores. If anyone wants any after I've started milling I'll be selling the Redwood for about $900/m3.

Below I've translated the cubic meter price to linear meter prices:
50mm x 100mm = $3.75/Lm
50mm x 150mm = $5.65/Lm
100mm x 100mm = $7.5/Lm

If there are more people who want the timber than I have timber available then I'll offer the same deal again before I order from the plantation. That order is trickier because I have to wait for the contractors to be in the right part of the forest.

I only need a small amount of this for myself to make up a demonstration stall for a trade show I'll be at in October. So almost all of it is for sale.

Ooh! That looks like a massive tree, was it on your property?

Will the timber be dressed or just rough-sawn? Redwood is pretty good in-ground isn't it?

What would be the ETA for supply of the timber and cut-off for preorder? I'm very interested. I'll double check it's suitability in ground and I'll do some calculations for how much I'd need, I'd be looking at using it for a fence, garden retaining walls and maybe even the chook house while I'm at it.

Looks awesome, pity freight would be a killer for me

It can be dressed but that would obviously cost more. It won't last as long in ground but it does do pretty well. Just don't concrete it in because no wood likes that.

Not sure on the ETA but the trade show that I want to make a small DCW tub and tank is in October so I need to get a move on because we are already halfway through August

So soon.

In terms of cut off. It is hard to say how much timber will be produced because you don't know how a log is going to mill until you open it up. What I would do is allocate orders on a first come first served basis this time.

Later when I can order logs from the plantation I can offer more but they won't be available until next year.

Maybe. Not this time perhaps but later on if you wanted enough it could be worthwhile.

All the Australian Cypress Pine that is sold down here comes from Queensland after all. Although having said that it should be cheaper and a smaller environmental footprint for you to get Australian Cypress Pine locally.

Gah, looks like I might have to pass up the offer for now, I was chatting with my dad and it looks like he can get stuff at cost price for me so it won't work out as economical to go with the Redwood for what I was planning. Now I feel really foolish!

My apologies for jumping the gun, I am trying to think of something else I can make with it though as I haven't ever used it before.

Good luck with your venture, I'd love to see the AP kits you make though, I'm sure they'll look great.

No worries.

What can he get at cost?

Not entirely sure what he was talking about by the end of the conversation, either TP or Cypress I think.

Part of the problem is I'd be asking Dad's help with some of the work and if I got something he didn't like working with (for whatever reason he'd dig up) he'd bitch and moan about it and it's incredibly irritating to deal with, lol. In a lot of ways he isn't, but in many others he is very much the sterotypical old Italian man. I've got a permanent reminder of his grumpiness in the wonky header over the kitchen doorway from one of the last time he helped out, lol. Mind you it's somewhat understandable as he was working with 60 year old hardwood at the time.

Your dad sounds like my dad - minus the Italian bit. But I have a Greek boyfriend so when they 'try' and work together it's probably much the same


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Cypress is fine just be careful with the ends because it can be very easy to split.

If TP is treated pine I seriously recommend not using it. Yes it is cheaper but not by much and the word "treated" is another word for poisoned.

Yup, I agree, I'm not the biggest fan of treated pine. Even though I do and have used it a fair bit for different jobs I've done, I really don't like doing so. People may think I'm silly for wearing a mask when cutting it but I don't want to breathe that in, much the same with MDF.

I think it's Cypress he was talking about but he did mention TP at some point and I ended up tuning out a bit so I'm not entirely sure. No wonder I ramble on so much, I get it from him.



*edit* Argh, I'm derailing your thread, sorry I'll be shush now and let it get back on topic.

No ones apoligised to me for derailing a thread before.

I've started milling the redwood and I'm getting some amazing timber out of it.

Wow that is superb !! Did you have to dry it before milling? or is it after milling you dry?

After milling.