Queensland Maple – Sawn – Turning – 180 dia × 50mm

Round bowl blank in Queensland maple. Warm pinkish brown, often with ribbon figure that lifts under a finish. Short run from recent stock.

Queensland Maple Bowl Blank

This queensland maple bowl blank comes from Flindersia brayleyana, a north Queensland rainforest tree that has been a favourite of Australian furniture makers for generations. It is not a true maple, and it behaves far better on the lathe than the name suggests.

Why Queensland Maple Suits the Faceplate

The colour sits in the pinkish brown range and warms as it ages. What sells it is the figure. Interlocked grain often throws a ribbon or fiddleback shimmer across the face that moves as you walk past the finished piece. The texture is even and moderately fine, so detail holds crisply. Flindersia brayleyana is also known as maple silkwood in its native range.

Working Properties on the Lathe

• Hardness: Medium. Firm enough to hold a crisp edge, soft enough to cut comfortably all day.
• Grain: Frequently interlocked. Read the direction before a heavy cut and the figure rewards you.
• Turning: Cuts cleanly with sharp tools. A shear scrape settles any lifted fibre where the ribbon reverses.
• Finishing: Takes oil, wax and shellac beautifully. We recommend Rustins Danish oil, EEE-Ultra Shine or Shellawax for a soft satin finish.
• Stability: Well behaved once dry, with little movement in service.

Best Projects for a Queensland Maple Bowl Blank

• Open salad and fruit bowls that show the ribbon across the rim
• Platters and wide shallow forms
• Lidded boxes where a figured lid does the work

Dimensions and Finish

Round, docked and ready for the faceplate. Full dimensions are listed in the product details above. Figure and colour vary from blank to blank.

Every Blank Is Different, and That Is the Point

You are buying from the parcel, not picking the blank. These came off one pull and were docked round on the same day. We have not sorted them into grades, because we do not hold that one of these is better than another — they are different, and the difference is the thing you are paying for. One will carry a knot. One will show a void with a dark centre, a gum vein, or a check running in from the edge. One will be quiet and even all the way across. We cannot promise you which blank you will get, and frankly we would not want to choose it for you.

The knot is the prize. The best figure in any tree sits hard up against the knots and the crotches. That is where the grain had to divert and compress, and it is where the flame, the fiddleback and the colour change live. Straight, featureless grain is the easy part of a log. This is premium timber and every mark in it is a record of how the tree grew — you are buying the character, not tolerating it. If you want a particular face for a particular piece, order two and turn the one the timber points you to.

Shipping and Pickup

Blanks ship Australia-wide via Australia Post or Aramex. Pickup is welcome from our Mulgrave NSW store Mon–Fri 9am–4pm and Sat 9am–12pm. For bulk enquiries call (02) 4577 5277 or email sales@trendtimbers.com.au.

Limited Stock, Once It’s Gone

A short run off the rack rather than a standing line. Once these are turned, the listing closes. Have a look through the rest of our turning blanks while you are here.