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I don't know about albezia as firewood, but I can't imagine it's not. Actually, the guava than everybody gripes about is quite good. It's actually pretty good for a lot of things, very very strong, straight grained and dense. I'm building chairs out of it. Historically it's used for charcoal production. I could see it used in a lot of stuff, flooring, etc. I just cringe at the term "weed tree."
By the way, the best tool ever invented for fast trimming of that sort of wood, and culling small branches, is a cordless skillsaw.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23552526/wid=18298287
Pretty timely, aren't we?
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Morning, Rob
Much like Paulonia then. Actually, Paulonia was once widespread in the US but that was denuded for charcoal production too. Paulonia is used for surfboards and very fine furniture. If somebody has a big Albezia, I'll give it a try. I've not ever messed with it. It might be very very good for composite laminate boat construction, if treated. I'm going to start my latest boat project in the fall, and if I can build the whole thing out of "weed trees" I'd love to.
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using the strawberry gauva out here for dog fence frame and rails ... 200 feet of it in so far. It takes deck screws really well if one pre drills. And what the heck may as well countersink while at it .... far so good
as to boat building --- Im thinking cold molded kayak this year - I need to find a way to neatly slice the strawberry gauva poles into 3/16th inch thick strips before drying any ideas other than a table saw?
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Hi guys,
I use a tablesaw to rip it. A pain in the arse but at this point I can't really justify a big band saw, but who knows. I used one in New Zealand on a boat building project about two years ago that had an utterly ingenious fence that would allow one to rough saw small logs with great accuracy. It was Chinese in make and obscure, but I'd love to have one of those. Otherwise if it's big I just tear it up with the chainsaw with a long bar and a rip chain. Inefficient, but rather than clearing a road to get big dead logs out, it's the only option.
A good tablesaw trick is to screw the small log to a piece of 1/4 ply with brass screws to act as the initial flat fence edge, and just run on through it. Brass screws of course so if you nick them with the blade won't ruin a 70 dollar investment.
Catamarans are where I'm headed too, and Albezia may be the ticket especially if it's free. Many of those light porous woods are really good for laminate construction, as anything that soaks up water soaks up glue good too.
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Thanks for that and happy St Pat.
Interesting, as my last name is FitzGerald, which is a large and ancient family. We aren't really Irish, but Italian rather, and thanks to my Dad's research I can trace my ancestors back to 900 or so in Florance. Our family was always noted for engineering and building, and I guess I'm a child of that stock.
Still, having a thousand years of family perspective is unusual, for certain, and there is one thing that I've learned from it.
Only one generation in a thousand years of my branch of the FitzGerald family, my grandfather, had the luxury and stability in the economy and society to be born and die on the same piece of ground. Everyone else was running for their life. Perhaps that perspective engenders my all to often doomsday prognoses.
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