Figured Red Gum – Sawn – Turning – 190 dia × 45mm

Wide round bowl blank in figured red gum. Deep red colour with movement through the grain. The largest diameter in this run.

Figured Red Gum Bowl Blank

This figured red gum bowl blank is the widest round in the current run, cut from Eucalyptus camaldulensis, the river red gum that lines watercourses right across inland Australia. The figure is what lifts these above ordinary gum.

Why Figured Red Gum Is Worth the Effort

Colour is the first thing you notice. It runs from a warm orange red through to a deep brick, often with darker veining and gum lines running through the face. Where the grain rolls and swirls, the surface catches the light and shifts as the piece turns. This is a dense timber that holds a crisp edge and takes a high polish. Eucalyptus camaldulensis is the most widely distributed eucalypt on the continent.

Working Properties on the Lathe

• Hardness: Hard and dense. Expect to sharpen more often than on a rainforest species.
• Grain: Often wavy or interlocked through the figured sections, with gum veins in places.
• Turning: Rewards patience. Sharp tools and light shear cuts through the figured areas, and let the speed do the work rather than the pressure.
• Finishing: Polishes to a deep lustre. We recommend Rustins Danish oil, EEE-Ultra Shine or Shellawax for a soft satin finish.
• Stability: Dense and firm once dry. Natural gum veins and small checks are part of the character.
• Borer holes: Most blanks carry scattered pinhole borer holes, roughly 1–3mm across, and you can see them clearly in the photos. They are old and long dead — there is nothing living in this timber. We rate them as a feature: left open, they read as dark punctuation scattered across a figured face, and they tell you the tree had a life before the lathe. Fill them with CA glue and sanding dust if you would rather a closed surface, but most turners leave them be.

Best Projects for a Figured Red Gum Bowl Blank

• Wide shallow bowls and platters that open up the figure
• Fruit bowls with a broad rim
• Display pieces where colour is doing the work

Dimensions and Finish

Round, docked and ready for the faceplate. Full dimensions are listed in the product details above. Figure, colour, gum veining and borer-hole density vary from blank to blank. Study the photos before you buy.

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

Figured stock comes and goes with what the mill sends. Once these are turned, the listing closes. Have a look through the rest of our turning blanks while you are here.