Journeyman's Journal

Accoya timber is one of those materials that quietly changes the way you think about woodworking. It looks like any other softwood at first glance, but what’s happening beneath the surface is entirely different. This timber is essentially radiata pine that has been modified through a process called acetylation, which changes the chemical structure of the wood. The result is a material that is incredibly stable, resistant to rot, and surprisingly durable, even in harsh outdoor conditions. For a hand tool woodworker, this makes it both a joy and a challenge. It planes, saws, and finishes beautifully, and because it doesn’t move much with changes in moisture, you don’t get the warping or cupping that makes other softwoods frustrating for work.

What’s also fascinating about Accoya is its environmental story. Unlike some exotic hardwoods, it comes from sustainably managed forests, and the acetylation process itself doesn’t introduce toxic chemicals. This gives you peace of mind, especially if you’re making furniture or joinery that will be in contact with people, animals, or even food. The stability of the wood also opens up possibilities for projects you might have avoided with traditional pine or cedar. Decking, window frames, cladding, or outdoor furniture all benefit from the low maintenance and long lifespan Accoya offers. You’re not constantly worrying about sealing, staining, or replacing pieces after a few years.

Using Accoya doesn’t feel like using a compromise. It’s strong yet lightweight, easy to work with hand tools, and takes finishes well. You can glue it, screw it, and even carve it with the kind of predictable behavior that makes woodworking enjoyable. It’s the kind of material that rewards patience and craftsmanship because what you craft from it will last decades without the usual problems of movement and decay. Every cut, plane, and joint you make holds its shape, and over time, you realize that the effort you put into crafting something is protected by the wood itself.

Accoya isn’t cheap compared with ordinary softwoods you might pick up for a quick shed or internal project. It’s marketed as a premium engineered wood, and that’s because its performance and durability come from a chemical modification process that makes the wood resist moisture and rot far better than untreated pine. Accoya’s own site says it is a premium product and not the lowest cost option, but the trade‑off is longevity, less maintenance and strong warranties that ordinary timber just doesn’t offer. You can read more about that on the manufacturer’s site here: https://www.accoya.com/au/faq/is-accoya-expensive/

Actual prices in Australia give a sense of what that means in practice. For example, Accoya cladding boards listed at one timber supplier are around forty to fifty dollars per metre for thinner pieces and just over fifty dollars per metre for wider boards. Another supplier shows decking starting around thirty eight dollars per metre and running up to around seventy six dollars per metre for some profiles. A third local dealer lists sample retail prices including decking and cladding from roughly thirty to over a hundred dollars per metre depending on size and thickness.

Those numbers put Accoya solidly above untreated pine or basic timber products but in a range comparable to durable hardwoods and high‑end engineered materials. What that means in a build is a higher upfront material cost, but with the benefit of reduced movement, fewer refinishing cycles and decades of performance that often makes the initial spend feel worthwhile to people building long‑lasting work.

Here a link to where I sourced the prices from :

https://www.canterburytimbers.com.au/collections/accoya-decking
https://www.canterburytimbers.com.au/products/accoya-natural-cladding-185x21mm
https://austim.com.au/pricing/

To get a closer look at Accoya and see what makes it special, watch this video from the makers themselves.

NB. For the regular home hobbyist who isn’t a banker, Accoya’s cost may put it out of reach. Many of us are now forced to scale down our projects rather than creating the furniture and larger items we once enjoyed. Timber prices have risen sharply over the last five years and continue to grow, which makes some of us question whether woodworking can remain a financially viable hobby.

In the last video I showed that one of the two keepers used to hold the blade in the brackets snapped. These are the same keepers Chris from Blackburn Tools describes and supplies. After looking closely at the failure it became clear why it happened. The hole in the saw that the keepers pass through was biting into the steel. I do not know exactly what type of steel was used but we can see from the damage that it does not hold up very well over time. The idea with a part like this is not for it to last for a short while but to last indefinitely.

Another factor that likely contributed to the failure is how I was using the saw. I was leaving the saw under constant tension so it was always ready to use. This is not a good idea with frame saws or bow saws. When a saw is left under tension the hardware is under continuous stress. Steel under constant load can slowly deform or fatigue even if it looks fine on the surface. Wood also moves with changes in humidity and temperature and that movement can increase stress on the metal parts. Over time this combination weakens small components like keepers and clips and makes failure far more likely. Releasing tension after use greatly extends the life of both the saw frame and the hardware.

To solve the issue I went to visit Gerald at Complete Engineering. He is a fellow woodworker who has moved into metal work and he is extremely pedantic about what he does. After looking at the problem he suggested using stainless steel, explaining that it is much harder and more durable than the steel being used in the original keepers. After walking through both of his factories he managed to find a single stainless clip left in stock and gave it to me free of charge.

What really struck me was the time he gave me. Gerald spent a good half hour helping me work through the problem. Considering the size of his operation and how much work he clearly has on, I was genuinely lost for words at the kindness he showed.

Gerald then suggested I head over to Build It Fasteners in Molendinar. As luck would have it, just as I pulled into the driveway the owner was starting to close the roller doors. I showed him the clip I needed and without hesitation he knew exactly where it was. He also had only one clip left and he gave it to me free of charge. I tried to pay him but he flat out refused.

Two men I had never met before showed me an incredible amount of kindness. It was honestly a heartfelt moment of absolute gratitude. The irony that both of them only had one clip left was not lost on me either.

When I got back to the shop I hammered both stainless clips into a shape that matched the original keepers supplied by Blackburn. I then cut them to length with a hacksaw. The whole job took only a few minutes. Gerald was absolutely right. These stainless keepers are far better than the originals. There are no bite marks from the saw plate and they feel solid and reliable.

Sometimes a small failure turns into a good lesson. In this case it was about material choice, tool care, and the reminder that generosity still exists in abundance if you are paying attention.

To show my gratitude I would like to give these businesses a smal promo. Please take the time to visit their links.

Complete Engineering provides machining and fabrication services for industrial and building work. They handle custom jobs and ongoing work and have been operating in this space for many years.https://comeng.au/

Build It Fasteners supplies fasteners, tools, and related hardware for trade and construction use. They carry a wide range of standard and specialty items and provide practical advice when selecting the right products. https://www.builditfasteners.com.au/

Used together, these businesses cover both fabrication and supply requirements, making it easier to move projects from planning through to completion.

The sofra is now complete, and to my eye, the table looks good. I am very happy with how it turned out. The carving in particular stands out to me. I like it a lot and would like to repeat this style of carving in future projects.

Years ago, I used to follow a woodworker in Russia on YouTube who carved the most beautiful work I have ever seen. When my account was hacked, I lost everything and with it, I lost track of his channel. I do not know his name, and no matter how much I search, I only seem to get results from western countries. That is disappointing. I would really like to see how people in other parts of the world work wood and approach their craft.

The finish I used on this table is food safe. My preference for food safe finishes is tung oil thinned with a citrus solvent. You cannot use mineral spirits or turpentine to thin tung oil. They are petroleum based and not suitable for a surface that will be used with food. It is also important to use one hundred percent tung oil, not a blend. Many products sold as tung oil are mixed with other oils or varnishes. If you want to buy it, I highly recommend this company. You purchase directly from the source instead of through shops, which are middlemen, so the price is much lower. https://www.sceneys.com.au/product/tung-oil/

The citrus solvent is ridiculously expensive. A 4-litre (1-gallon) can costs $176. That’s why I only use it for food-safe projects and never for everyday work.

I prefer tung oil over mineral oil because tung oil actually cures. Once cured, it hardens within the wood and provides real protection. Mineral oil never cures. It stays liquid, continues to weep out over time, and needs constant reapplication. Tung oil, once cured, is stable, durable, and better suited for a table that may see regular use.

Tung oil takes about four weeks to fully cure. The table should not be used before that time. It may be possible to serve food on it with a tablecloth under the plates, but I am not fully confident recommending that before the cure is complete.

The legs of the table are turned and foldable. Unfortunately, the folding brackets are poorly made. I bought them from Amazon, and they took a month to arrive. On one leg, the rubber pad you press to activate the spring was torn in several places. After attaching the brackets to the legs, another bracket failed, and the leg now flops around.

None of the brackets properly secure the legs or lock them upright. You only press a lever to unfold the legs, but there is no solid locking system. Every bracket is flimsy, so the legs rattle instead of staying firm.

Lastly, the screws supplied with the brackets are very weak. You have to turn them slowly and gently, even when using a pilot hole. If you are not careful, the screw head can snap off, which is exactly what happened to mine.

If I were to make another table like this, I would spend more time searching for better quality folding brackets, assuming they exist. The table itself deserves better hardware than what was used here.

Been a while since I last posted. I made a small video of my current project rather than writing about it. There is an aweful lot that many lessons could be derived from it, but I just found it a little simpler to show it to you rather than go into any great detail on how I arrived making a smooth round table by hand.

Lightening the workshop has been long overdue and I decided it was time to sell off the tools I do not need. The clutter had slowly built up over the years and I reached the point where I only wanted the essentials. I also let go of a large amount of timber that looks impressive but is not friendly to hand tools. American ash, red oak and similar species look beautiful in finished work but planing them is another story. When you are young and strong you treat it as a good workout. That is no longer the case for me and with ongoing back issues I simply cannot fight timbers that feel like stone.

I am not a woodworker who keeps a jointer tucked in the corner or a thicknesser ready to roll out. I have always worked with hand tools only and I have stayed true to that. I hand plane boards to thickness and I take rough sawn timber all the way to a finished surface using nothing but planes and scrapers. All of that puts real strain on the lower back and over time it has caught up with me which is one of the reasons I had to rethink what timbers I work with and what tools I keep.

When the cost of living went up I underestimated how much harder it would be to sell things, but they are moving slowly. Something I did not expect was how little interest there was in a rosewood mahogany industrial stain I tried to sell for years. I still have five litres left which is just over one gallon for readers in the United States.

I had gallons of the industrial stain made specifically for me and it never went off despite what some people think. The industrial version is nothing like the common off the shelf stain. Industrial stain is mixed to a formula, has stronger pigments and deeper penetration and is made for commercial finishing shops that need consistent performance. Off the shelf stain is thinned out, weaker in colour strength and produced for mass retail where cost and ease of use matter more than quality.

Stain can last a very long time if it is solvent based and kept sealed. Solvent based stains do not spoil the way water based products do. The pigments settle, the solvents separate and it may look unusable, but once mixed properly it returns to its original state. As long as the lid seals well and the container has not rusted through it remains usable for many years. Water based stains have a shorter life because bacteria and mould can form in the liquid, but industrial solvent based stain is far more stable.

Last night I tried the stain on a sample piece for a project and I expected it to look ordinary. I was wrong. It looked better than I imagined and I am relieved I did not sell what I had left. It reminded me of how easily people overlook good materials simply because they have never used them.

Clearing the workshop has made me more aware of what I actually use and what I was holding onto out of habit. Letting things go has also shown me that knowledge plays a major role in what people choose to buy. Some know exactly what they are looking for. Others walk past quality without realising it.

Sorting through everything has also made me think about how my work has changed. I do not work the way I did twenty years ago and there is no point pretending otherwise. My back limits what I can push through and the timbers I choose now have to make sense for the way I work. Once I accepted that it became easier to decide what stays and what goes.

The workshop feels calmer with less in it. There is more room to move and more room to think. What is left are the tools and materials that fit the way I work today. It feels like a step towards working with a bit more clarity and a bit less noise, and there is nothing wrong with that.