I spent time this week sawing up a hairy oak log into pen blanks. Horrid stuff, the thick hairy bark flies everywhere and coats everything but I still adore its rich and diverse timber immensely. The timber log was posted to us by a customer who rescued it from someone's fireplace, thank goodness he thought it too beautiful to be firewood, it was only charred on one side.

Hairy oak is full of stunning contrasts (see picture below as to why its named hairy oak). Hairy oak's unique timber features rich honey brown tones with thickly striated grain and interesting knots and twists. It is an eye catching timber and popular with both men and women made into pens or jewellery items.

Hairy oak is a stringy barked she-oak (Allocasuarina inophloia) which grows in an open habit ranging from about 3 to 10 metres in heigh. It is found in New South Wales in areas such as the Clarence River valley, Emmaville, Yetman and Waralda, and also in northern Queensland to Herberton. It is typically found in woodland on sandstone, ironstone or laterite ridges.

Hairy oak is a relatively easy timber to work with, a joy to turn on the wood lathe. While the timber is hard and a little brittle in the medullary, it sands incredibly smooth and is very pleasing to the eye when finished. It is wonderful timber for pens and also for general woodwork projects. Lathe & Chisel's hairy oak timber pens, pencils and letter openers are one of our top selling woods. If you need a special Australian gift for someone, a timber pen might be perfect. Why not consider a timber pen in handsome hairy oak timber?