With over 300 acres of forest on our bush block wood is a resource we have in spades. Aside from firewood collection there are plenty of uses we have found. All the framing on this caravan shed was cut from the property and held together with strapping and clouts. As with fence posts the best timber is Red Box (Eucalyptus Polyanthemos) which is almost termite resistant. Luckily the geology of our site means that there are plenty of these trees close to the house.
Our homemade house was constructed in two parts. One is mudbrick made from soil dug to create the space for the house with timber poles holding up the roof. The second part was made from local timber milled 35km up the road but the verandah posts were cut from a Blue Gum thicket about 100m below the house. Once the bark dried off the paths of borers were revealed showing a beautiful pattern as a feature.
We also used radially sawn timber - a technique designed to get the maximum amount of wood out of the saw log. Each piece also has an uneven edge on the thickest part that looks more natural and organic.
We have also used our timber for green woodworking and more recently spoon carving. It is still a fantastic renewable resource despite most of it being singed or burnt in last year's major bushfire. If time allows I would love to use it more - making shingles would be a project I am keen to try.
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