Post your woodwork here

[MrJacques]

A question for the woodworkers - it seems like it's difficult to get the old fashioned brown hardboard these days. Or at least I couldn't get at Builders. Any ideas why and suggestions of other places to try?

[bertusras]

A question for the woodworkers - it seems like it's difficult to get the old fashioned brown hardboard these days. Or at least I couldn't get at Builders. Any ideas why and suggestions of other places to try?

 

They might just be out of stock due to the holidays and suppliers shutting down. I'm sure I saw at my local just yesterday.

[Stretched@Birth]

A question for the woodworkers - it seems like it's difficult to get the old fashioned brown hardboard these days. Or at least I couldn't get at Builders. Any ideas why and suggestions of other places to try?

The Masonite factory that used to produce it was in Estcourt and closed down. It was bought by another business, who tried to revive it, but without success. If my facts are correct, they went into business rescue, and subsequently also closed. So it now needs to be imported, I received a big delivery just before we closed for the holidays, have a lot of stock, but only open again on the 7th.

[porqui]

Yep not always easy to get - replaced by white backing board but it is not as tough as masonite.

[MrJacques]

The Masonite factory that used to produce it was in Estcourt and closed down. It was bought by another business, who tried to revive it, but without success. If my facts are correct, they went into business rescue, and subsequently also closed. So it now needs to be imported, I received a big delivery just before we closed for the holidays, have a lot of stock, but only open again on the 7th.

 

Thanks for the info 

 

* that kinda sucks, eish! You'd think that the factory that basically supplies SA with hardboard would be doing pretty well.

 

** https://estcourtnews.co.za/68669/official-statement-evowood-formerly-masonite-placed-voluntary-liquidation/

Edited December 30, 2019 by Jacquers

[Stretched@Birth]

Thanks for the info

 

* that kinda sucks, eish! You'd think that the factory that basically supplies SA with hardboard would be doing pretty well.

I think the plant was aging, lots of breakdowns, cost of labour and challenging market conditions all contributed to their downfall. The timber industry as a whole has been taking strain for the past few years.

[Plentipotential]

Unfortunately I just blew my bonus on a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R.

Nice bonus.

[sawystertrance]

The Masonite factory that used to produce it was in Estcourt and closed down. It was bought by another business, who tried to revive it, but without success. If my facts are correct, they went into business rescue, and subsequently also closed. So it now needs to be imported, I received a big delivery just before we closed for the holidays, have a lot of stock, but only open again on the 7th.

Long, long ago I went on a school trip to the Drakensberg. We stayed at friends of our teacher in Estcourt and were taken on  a trip to that factory. 

 

The steam, noise and general "industrialness" of it left a huge impression on me of how industry works. 

 

Thanks for reviving that memory.

[kosmonooit]

Before the year is out, I would like to have a proper lament about the lack of decent treated structural timber here.

 

I've been busy on a patio awning rebuild project for someone and went the treated timer route, and only one choice here: SA Pine. Got some planks from Noags market, I did try make a selection for decent timber, but...

 

Come to erecting the rafters, just about every plank has its issues: warping, knots everywhere, buckling, variation in width and thickness, variation in density, just generally unpleasant to work with and a challenge to say the least... uuurgh.

[Kranswurm]

Before the year is out, I would like to have a proper lament about the lack of decent treated structural timber here.

 

I've been busy on a patio awning rebuild project for someone and went the treated timer route, and only one choice here: SA Pine. Got some planks from Noags market, I did try make a selection for decent timber, but...

 

Come to erecting the rafters, just about every plank has its issues: warping, knots everywhere, buckling, variation in width and thickness, variation in density, just generally unpleasant to work with and a challenge to say the least... uuurgh.

Meranti and treat it properly and it will last a lifetime if regularly treated.I had a timber frame house in Scarborough and the deck and railing was all Meranti.Would not touch pine

[kosmonooit]

Sure Meranti is nice but was not really an option because its has got silly expensive

 

10x Main rafters were 25x152mm   4.6m, that cost around R1200

 

That in Meranti . .I shudder to think, at least 10x - 20x

 

But even decking ,,,, would not waste my money on Meranti Anything exposed to water is going to go south in a few years unless you give it very regular (and tedious) TLC, except possibly Balau , which is even more silly expensive.

 

There is that fake composite 'wood' though I 'wood' use if I was ever going to build a deck again.

[kosmonooit]

I did some timber work (patio deck and awning) in Canada  yonks ago, and used treated timber that was stock from the DIY store down the road were very decent pine of some sort, consistent width and density, nicely planed, straight, flat, true,

 

Really SA Pine must be bottom of the barrel in terms of timber.. but few seem to care here in ZA.

[porqui]

Kosmonooit it depends a lot on the supplier.

 

Done plenty of work in treated pine timber and never had a problem.

Design is also important to mitigate movement.

[kosmonooit]

Kosmonooit it depends a lot on the supplier.

 

Done plenty of work in treated pine timber and never had a problem.

Design is also important to mitigate movement.

 

You probably got more choices there than Jozi... There are just a few places here that sell treated timber here, and its all lowest grade SA pine stock that goes into the cooker.

Edited December 31, 2019 by kosmonooit

[DJR]

You probably got more choices there than Jozi... There are just a few places here that sell treated timber here, and its all lowest grade SA pine stock that goes into the cooker.

I don't do much in terms of big woodwork projects simply because I don't have the space. I've recently had such a bad experience with rubbish SA Pine that I have also decided to rather just go to Rarewoods and find something better. Even if it costs a lot more, the limited nature of my woodwork projects means that it is not the biggest issue. I do things that I enjoy. So, to struggle and waste time, making something that should be fun, into something frustrating and miserable, makes no sense. I just won't try the rubbish I wood I used last time, ever again. Inconsistent thickness, extremely variable density, had to spend time selecting the straightest ones, then finding half of it warped after a week or two anyway. Never again!

[Kranswurm]

I don't do much in terms of big woodwork projects simply because I don't have the space. I've recently had such a bad experience with rubbish SA Pine that I have also decided to rather just go to Rarewoods and find something better. Even if it costs a lot more, the limited nature of my woodwork projects means that it is not the biggest issue. I do things that I enjoy. So, to struggle and waste time, making something that should be fun, into something frustrating and miserable, makes no sense. I just won't try the rubbish I wood I used last time, ever again. Inconsistent thickness, extremely variable density, had to spend time selecting the straightest ones, then finding half of it warped after a week or two anyway. Never again!

Agreed...no time for crappy wood.We built a grape vine pergola out of Meranti in 1967 at our house in Claremont when I was a lighty and when we sold the family home in 2013 it was still as good as new.My dad taught woodwork at Sea Point Boys high and Rondebosch and only used hard woods except for roof timbers and such.