Michael from Melbourne - Intro & Q on wood suppliers

[dsgfh]

G'day all,
just a quick intro having just signed up to the forum. I work in IT, but as I get older I find myself wanting to get more & more hands on in my spare time. I'm just starting to have "a play" with woodwork having thoroughly enjoyed doing a small project with the currently in hiatus team at Splinter and Callous.

First project off the bat is going to be a wooden smokehouse, then I've possibly got some cafe tables to knock up. Nothing delicate or fancy for now.

I find myself here initially hoping for some tips on wood supplies in Melbourne, and in the north in particular.

Cheers,
Michael

[Deverell]

Hi Michael, welcome to the forums. I'm sure you'll find them to be a good source of information much like I have.

I don't have any tips for suppliers up north but the ones I have been using for finer furniture quality timbers are WR timbers in Kilsyth, as well as Matthews timbers in Knoxfield. I believe that both are quite popular.

For plywood and other sheet goods Plyco in Alphington has a great range. The other one I've been meaning to order from is Maxiply in Lilydale.

For other projects that don't require finer materials I've been picking up tas oak from my local home timber hardware who are loads cheaper and have a better range than bunnings. They would also have suitable materials for your smokehouse I would guess.

Hope that helps and all the best with your upcoming projects.

[crowie]

G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Michael".
There are a heap of members in & around Melbourne as well as across the rest of Victoria..
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [work in progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.
Cheers, crowie

[dsgfh]

Thanks guys. I hadn't even thought of home timber & hardware. I guess it's in their name isn't it :) I don't mind a drive for either quality or a bargain (depending on the project). but the Provans Home Timber in Clifton Hill is conveniently located so will check them out.
I've also found timbersales in mordialoc might have some reasonably priced cladding seconds that will be perfect for the smokehouse. I know where my Saturday morning is going.

As for photo's, I will definitely make sure there's lots of snaps along the way, but this was the Splinter & Callous project that got me interested in learning more about woodwork & welding. It's now sitting in my office at work as my coffee station.

[old1955]

Welcome to the forum Michael.

Ross

[Christos]

Welcome to the forum.

I can relate to wanting to be more hands on. I love spending time on a task for a piece that has sparked my interest. Nicely done on this piece.

[dsgfh]

Thanks Christos. I was bloody pleased with the project & can't wait to find an excuse to do more joinery (wood or metal).

[shanesmith80]

When I was starting out I found these guys had good prices for timber.

Home - Tile Importer (http://www.tileimporter.com.au/)

Quality and quantity could be hit and miss, but you get to pick through the boards.

It has been about 6 years since I was last there though..

[JJF]

welcome to the forum

[dsgfh]

Thanks all. For the smokehouse, I've picked up some cheap (as best I could tell) seconds shiplap from timbersales.com.au out in Mordialloc. $340 for 100lm lot of 19mm, 70mm visible (closer to 80mm measured) v shiplap. There's very little in it I can't use.
In the end I've grabbed 90x45 framing timber from bunnings. Picked out the pieces so they weren't too bad warping wise, and for the job at hand they're working out nicely (I think).

Planning on getting it finished this weekend if I can. Started making the battens that the dowel's will sit in last night, then I need to get the roof frame made & get it all up onto the besser blocks before I add too much more weight with the cladding. May need to sink the firebox a little, but can fine tune that later since I haven't mortared the blocks (I'll pour some crete through them to lock them in place once I've test fired it all & done my airflow tuning).

Now, forum etiquette question. Which forum does this contraption belong in? It's closest in build to a shed I guess, but I'm not quite sure that does it justice ;-) Then again, I'm not quite sure it'll do the sheds justice either.

[chambezio]

Michael welcome aboard!! I will be looking with interest the construction of the smoke house as well as how/what will be processed through the smoke house. Some pictures will be great too.

[dsgfh]

So as is the way with such things, my weekend got away from me & so progress wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. Trying to get home from the office a little early each day so I can continue to chip away at it now the nights are a little longer (while staying respectful of the neighbours & the noise I'm making).
Got asked by two different neighbours what I was up to on Sunday as they can see something poking over the fence.
It's starting to look like something now

[dsgfh]

402082

& it's done bar the dowel holders which will go in some time this week. Chimney draws well. As well as I'd hoped, and better than expected in fact. Don't you love it when you surprise yourself! Need to pop some temp probes into it & see what temp it runs at, but all in all I'm absolutely chuffed. This will work an absolute treat for cold smoking, and hopefully if I build the fire straight into the base, hot smoking as well.