Crows Ash

    (Flindersia australis)

Also known as: Australian Teak

Still found in the region in semi-evergreen vine thicket or 'Soft scrub' as it's known locally, the majority of this valuable timber has been logged out many years ago. The tree at left is one of some remnants on the edge of the Expedition Range near Bauhinia. The tree at right is a street planting in Emerald.

It grows to as high as 40 metres tall with trunks to over 1 metre diameter with some buttressing at the base.

Crows Ash drops it's leaves in Spring just before flowering which makes an impressive sight in the sea of green.

The distinctive woody seed capsules release wing-like seeds and persist under the tree for some time.

Crows Ash timber is hard and moderately heavy at about 950kg/m3 and has been used in construction extensively, particularly for flooring where it's greasiness has made it excellent as a dance surface. It's greasiness causes problems with gluing and nailing also but this can be overcome. The timber tends to check a lot and even the surface of sawn boards will check a bit while drying. The sample pictured was cut from a log left whole in the open so cracking had run both to and from the heart.

As a turning timber, Crows Ash machines quite well but is a pain to sand unless you want to wet sand. The greasiness of the timber also makes it difficult to finish but I have found Danish oil helps dissolve the grease and eventually takes OK. Forgot to do a test run and found out the hard way on this bowl that Crows Ash doesn't take pyrography too well - very messy!

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