Overview

Kauri Pine (Agathis spp.) is a highly prized softwood timber species, celebrated as a classic Australian timber with a rich history in Australian woodworking. Known for its fine texture and warm golden appearance, this versatile timber has been favoured by craftspeople since early European settlement for its exceptional workability and beautiful finish. Queensland Kauri is supplied from sustainable sources and is ideal for both functional and decorative woodworking projects.

Colour and Appearance

Kauri Pine features a pale cream to warm golden yellow heartwood, often with subtle pink reflections that deepen to a golden brown appearance with age and exposure. The sapwood is not clearly demarcated from the heartwood, creating a uniform appearance throughout. It has a fine, even texture with a straight grain and moderate natural luster. A distinctive feature is the shimmering ray fleck visible on quarter-sawn surfaces, which creates an attractive decorative figure not commonly seen in other softwoods.

Properties and Performance

Kauri Pine has a moderate density of approximately 470 kg/m³ when seasoned, with high stiffness and medium bending and crushing strength. It exhibits good dimensional stability with radial shrinkage of 3.5% and tangential shrinkage of 6.1%. The timber has medium resistance to shock loads and a Janka hardness rating of 560 lbf. While the heartwood is not sufficiently durable for external use or ground contact applications, it is well-suited for interior projects.

Perfect Applications

Kauri Pine excels in a wide range of interior applications:

• Fine furniture and cabinetmaking

• Joinery and interior panelling

• Relief carving and figure carving projects

• Musical instruments, particularly violin bellies and guitars due to excellent resonating properties

• Decorative veneers and plywood

• Turnery and woodturning projects

• Flooring for interior spaces (historically popular in pre-1930s Australian homes)
  Its combination of workability and appearance makes it especially valuable for projects requiring fine detail and a beautiful finished surface.

Working Characteristics

Kauri Pine is highly workable and excellent for detailed projects. The timber planes, moulds, nails, turns, and stains exceptionally well, with its straight grain and fine texture allowing for clean cuts and crisp detailing. It carves easily and holds shape well, producing sharp, clean detail with minimal effort. The wood machines well with both hand and power tools, though caution is needed when compression wood is present. It glues successfully, screws adequately, and can be finished to a high polish with a beautiful glossy surface. Kauri Pine sands smoothly and accepts stains, varnishes, and finishes uniformly, making it ideal for achieving professional-quality results.