King Billy Pine - Athrotaxis selaginoides.
It has extremely beautiful coloured wood, with the sapwood being yellow and the heartwood a reddish pink to brown with impressive growth rings of distinct colouring a pliable timber easily worked, it's physical properties is comparable to Western Red Cedar.
King Billy pine is a Tasmanian endemic softwood tree found in cold and wet sub-alpine forests. Timber from King Billy pine trees is light pink - brown in colour, soft, fine grained and light in weight. King Billy pine timber is very durable and freshly milled or dressed timber has a resinous aroma. Straight grained logs split remarkably well and until the mid 20th century were widely to build huts for walkers, miners, trappers and shepherds; Weindorfers residence at Cradle Valley is probably the best known such building. An early use for King Billy pine sawn timber was in boat building, especially for dinghies and rowing shells, where its light weight was advantageous. When the timber was plentiful it was the preferred building material for window frames and also for doors etc. Clear grade, quarter sawn King Billy pine timber is now highly sought after by musical instrument makers for the acoustic pieces in guitars, violins, ukeleles and banjos.
King Billy pine is a Tasmanian endemic softwood tree found in cold and wet sub-alpine forests. Timber from King Billy pine trees is light pink - brown in colour, soft, fine grained and light in weight. King Billy pine timber is very durable and freshly milled or dressed timber has a resinous aroma. Straight grained logs split remarkably well and until the mid 20th century were widely to build huts for walkers, miners, trappers and shepherds; Weindorfers residence at Cradle Valley is probably the best known such building. An early use for King Billy pine sawn timber was in boat building, especially for dinghies and rowing shells, where its light weight was advantageous. When the timber was plentiful it was the preferred building material for window frames and also for doors etc. Clear grade, quarter sawn King Billy pine timber is now highly sought after by musical instrument makers for the acoustic pieces in guitars, violins, ukeleles and banjos.
