RECYCLED RIMU FOR FURNITURE

Here in Christchurch there are a lot of places that you can collect Rimu and other woods at a reasonable price to use for projects and furniture making. Sadly some big companies are exploiting this current feast of materials selling them on to local people at an at times exhaustible price! But in a market like we are seeing today there are a few good places to purchase from like Southern Demolition as the rate at this company is fairly fair of around $7.00 per lineal meter.

About Rimu

Out of all New Zealand's forest trees Rimu is the one that is most widely spread.These trees can be found throughout New Zealand in the low lands to mountain forests in the North and South Islands as well as Stewart Island. In most places the large, rounded heads of a few to a dozen or so trees per acre emerge well above the general level of the canopy of broad-leaf trees below. Such forests have little or no regeneration and seldom contain any trees in the intermediate stages. 

These large Rimu trees can range in age from 700, 800, or even up to a staggering thousand years old. Facts of age and structure of such forest have given rise to the theory that the rimu is a relic of past climates which have been more favourable to it. It is certainly not replacing itself. However, along the edges of some forests on the pumice plateau of central North Island the rimu is younger, and intermediate age-classes and regeneration do occur. It is also present in secondary “scrub” on clay soils of the north.

Items I have made

Here are a few pictures of items I have made for local people as well as items I have in the pipeline for my family in Northern New Zealand. Rimu is a great timber to work with and I specifically try to find pieces that have had a bit of a knock, or have lots of knots. Using timber like this adds character to the things you are making. I really do not want things I create to look new.

The first item here is a Jewellery box that I have made for a local here in Christchurch. This piece in particular was made from recycled rimu of a high quality. This jewellery box will be lined on the inside with green felt with a mirror in the lid. It has had 8 coats of Danish oil on the exterior and 4 coats on the interior. I am selling these for around $80.00.

Photo Frames Picture Frames

I am starting to make a few photo and or picture frames for some of my artwork I have collected over the years. Most pieces are already framed in metal or cheap woods or chipboard rubbish that has been made to look nice by the artist or framer. Personally I  feel there is nothing more beautiful than natural timbers especially recycled as I like to see timbers used that already have a history. 

For example of this would be a lot of the Rimu that I currently have in stock has come from a house that was built in 1860. To have a beautiful photo frame or Glory box made from timber like this carries a lot of history with it.

Each piece I sell includes as much history as I can find about the past uses of this timber, like the last use it had whether that be from a historical home or from a stock pile that has been over looked from days of old.