Trade Directory
McNeill Trust
Copy by Ben. The farm is certified for grazing and related services to a number of countries including USDA NOP.
Photos and usage shown in this file--some posts in ground over 30 years. click here to view PDF.
The species I will be cutting to start with is 23 year old white stringybark (Eucalyptus globoidea). Australian published timber figures for this species compared to NZ radiata pine (in brackets) follow. NZ grown material probably differs from Australian. It is a far stronger and more resilient timber than pine.
Dry density; 880kg per cubic metre (NZ pine 480)
Modulus of rupture (MPa); 133 (pine 76)
Modulus of elasticity (GPa); 17 (pine 9.1)
Maximum crushing strength (MPa); 68 (pine 41)
Hardness (kN); 8.8 (pine 2.8)
I do not have a post peeler so posts will be delivered with bark and sapwood still attached. I use them like this without problem, but the bark and sapwood can be removed with a spade etc on site if required. The bark on this species is thick and stringy so some people would prefer the look of debarked posts. Some of us do not mind the 'rustic' look. If there is sufficient ongoing interest I will find a post peeler for future posts.
Sawn timber will be freshly cut which makes stapling easy. As they dry it is normal for the sawn material to move slightly as the growth stresses equalise. The only way to correct this is the oversize all the initial timber cuts and resaw it dead straight after full seasoning has occurred, which is not really practical for fence timber. All Eucalyptus timber is prone to a degree of end splitting during drying, but this does not lower the strength or durability. When fencing in Australia we were cutting the trees the same day the posts went in. I intend to build a stockpile of dry timber for future use, but this is still some moths into the future.
E. globoidea is grouped in Australian class 2 for ground durability, which means a 50 x 50mm stake should have a service life between 15-25 years. Larger diameters should last significantly longer. Some farm forestry experience suggests in NZ soils the timber might last longer. Many of the old Aussie hardwood power poles in NZ are from Australian class 2 (15-25 years) and 3 (5-15 years) species and have lasted 80 years or more, much longer than the durability classes would suggest.
These posts are sold in good faith but with no guarantees!
Pricing is based on the current local (Hawkes Bay) prices of treated pine to give a fair comparison. Prices may vary significantly in future once full costs are analysed.
60x60x1500 $7
60x60x1800 $8
80x80x1800 $10
#1 round 1.8m $12
#2 round 1.8m $10
#1 strainer 2.1m $30
#2 strainer 2.1m $35
Other sizes possible on request. Prices excluding GST and freight. Pick up from the farm at Waimarama is one option, and I will look into freight options.
Last point, I have not cleared this with BioGro or AQ but I can't see any problems. The posts are a natural product and have no prohibited inputs during processing, but they are growing on land that has been dropped from organic certification (no point have a certified forest!). I discussed the posts with Hans at my last audit and only later did I realise I actually did not have them on my inputs list. Please confirm with certifier before using.
Anyone interested please confirm by email and we'll go from there.
Cheers,
Ben
Waimarama HB
BioGro 5061
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