QUARTERED EUCALYPTUS

Botanical Name: Eucalyptus spp. (many)

Origin: Originally Australia and New Zealand now also Europe & South America

Description: Until recent years this veneer was not easy to obtain, supplies having to come mainly out of Australia. Now, however, it is common in Europe and there is an abundance of material available. The logs are mainly quartered, a few sometimes being flat sliced. Colour is variable, usually incorporating shades of biscuit and pinky yellow to a light pinky brown. Not very inspiring when plain, but the figured veneer can be very attractive showing varying degrees of mottle and even, on occasion, a strong fiddleback. Logs that show the right characteristics are peeled to produce pommele figured veneer which, in good examples, is extremely decorative. Some older trees may have a burr growth and, if this is sound and of sufficient size, they are then suitable for conversion into veneer. Eucalyptus burr is usually very tight, the individual burrs and clusters being small in size.