Australasian Timber Magazine - August 2021 by Provincial Press Group

AUGUST 2021

MANUFACTURE • TECHNOLOGY • DESIGN • CONSTRUCTION

ANGER OVER ANZAC STATION CONTRACT

BUNJIL PLACE THIRTEEN MAJOR AWARDS AND COUNTING

Engineered wood breaks new ground

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NEWS

No end in sight for supply shortages

FTMA claims cases of bullying

O M E timber companies have been accused of leapfrogging fabricators and dealing directly with builders during the current national shortage of timber supply. And large builders have also been accused of bullying timber companies into either supplying them directly or to forcing fabricators to using their timber for specific jobs. The accusations by Frame and Truss Manufacturers Association executive officer Kersten Gentle come as the association importers and the industry in general agree that there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the shortage of building materials. According to data compiled by data analysis company Grafa global demand for critical building materials could bring Australia’s residential construction industry to its knees. Australian builders have been left without their most critical material as a global construction boom sends timber prices into orbit – up 380% to a record high in May this year. In a note to FTMA members Ms Gentle said there didn’t seem to be an end in sight for the shortage of building materials and this was having a huge impact on fabricators. “It does not help when timber companies choose to leapfrog the fabricators and deal directly with builders, nor does it help when large builders bully timber companies in to either supplying them directly or to force fabricators in to using their timber for specific jobs,” she said. “For years I have banged on about fabricators being loyal to their timber suppliers just as they want loyalty from their builders. “However, we are starting to see this loyalty slip, with one fabricator … infuriated that his timber company had been bullied by a large builder in an attempt to force the fabricator into using the timber order for them first. This is unacceptable behaviour,” she said. “It is simple really. The fabricator buys and pays for the www.timberbiz.com.au

Alpine Truss managing •director George Prothero said a worldwide timber shortage had hampered his business’s plans to add extra staff. PHOTO: Kieren Tilly

Business plans on hold as shortage bites “The availability of wood has dropped, with our sawmills down by HE world-wide timber short- about 30 per cent in production, and age has hampered a Wangarat- what we would usually get from Euta business’s plans to employ rope going to the US because they are paying more for it.” an additional 30 staff. Mr Prothero said his 20 year old busiGeorge Prothero, managing director of Tone Road’s Alpine Truss, said the ness had been able to retain existing shortage was being felt Australia-wide staff numbers through the shortage, due to damage wrought on plantations but had not been able to employ more by NSW bushfires in February last year, people as planned. “We could have put on another 30 or compounded by a lack of imported so, and we have also had to turn back timber due to a US housing boom. “It is restricting our business,” Mr Pro- customers,” he said. Mr Prothero said HomeBuilder grants thero said.

SIMONE KERWIN

Australian builders have been left without their most critical material as a global construction boom sends timber prices into orbit – up 380% to a record high in May this year. timber, and the fabricator decides who to supply their manufactured products to, based on their own scheduling system and relationships. “This is not a decision to be made by any timber company and when large builders throw their weight around and make demands it only causes more disruption within the supply chain. Ms Gentle said fabricators were also being approached by new upstart businesses selling timber at ridiculously

inflated prices. “I urge all fabricators to ensure whatever timber they purchase meets the Australian Standards which they can do by purchasing from reputable timber companies,” she said. Australian Timber Importers Federation general manager John Halkett addressing a webinar organised by WoodSolutions to discuss the timber supply issue said he believed Australia would see an increasing need to import AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

offered by the Federal Government - which were established last year to stimulate the construction industry in response to COVID-19 and set timelines for building to begin - had created extra work, but had not taken into account the dearth of timber available. “We’ve been really lucky with our supply of raw material; we’re in a good position compared to some of our competitors, and are sourcing from Tumut and Mount Gambier - but we have more work than we can handle because the grants have been brought forward,” he said. - Wangaratta Chronicle

timber in one form or another for at least the next couple of decades. “And there’s no great resource of this product available to suddenly ship to Australia, and neither is there any great enthusiasm for Australia among importers,” he said. “Most countries in the OECD see building and construction as an important part of the response to COVID,” he said. “So the sort of demand we’re seeing in Australia is replicated elsewhere, and that’s given, of course, rise to major problems on the supply side. “There’s no doubt that in the next decade and beyond, given the situation in Australia with domestic supply that the changes we’re now

seeing in relation to housing approvals, and building additions and alterations, that there is going to be a need for increased imports of timber products,” Halkett said. “Otherwise, we’re all going to be living in steel houses.” CFMEU National Secretary Michael O’Connor has labelled the timber shortage as a ‘crisis’ and said government intervention was needed to avoid it spiralling out of control. “Otherwise, what will happen is that not only will we not address the current crisis that we have, this crisis will get a lot worse,” he told the ABC. ‘We need logs, but we also need enough sawmills and enough processors to process those logs as well.’ 3

NEWS

australasian

AUGUST 2021

Issue 5 – Volume 29 Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman. Established 1977.

3-7

News

Design

10-11

Engineered Wood Timber Supply

Tech Talk

20 21-23

Associations

Front Cover: The exterior of Bunjil Place, completed in 2017 at a cost of $125 million, in Narre Warren, which includes an 800-seat auditorium, art gallery, library, and a flexible exhibition and performance space. Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: Bruce Mitchell b.mitchelll@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9512 Advertising: Gavin de Almeida g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Publication Design: Jarren Gallway Timber classifieds: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9522 Subcription rates One-year (8 editions) $55 Two-years (16 editions) $95 Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9555 Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone: (03) 9810 3262 Website www.timberbiz.com.au Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA

Conditions

The opinions expressed in Australasian Timber Magazine are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. All material in Australasian Timber Magazine copyright 2021 © Ryan Media. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

MEDIA

INDEPENDENT & AUSTRALIAN OWNED

ASH met Anzac Station demands but still missed out PHILIP HOPKINS

Victorian manufacturer Australian Sustainable Hardwoods overwhelmingly met the tender conditions to supply the Domain Station (ANZAC) mass timber structure, new evidence shows. The awarding of the contract to Hess, a major European company, indicates that the mandatory specifications in the tender, which imported products could not meet, were changed. “ASH was not advised of any changes,” said the ASH’s chief executive, Vince Hurley. “Importantly it appears the local content requirement, a Victorian Government requirement in a project funded by the Victorian Government, which can be efficiently manufactured locally, has been thrown away.” The mass wooden structure at the Anzac project is a floating timber canopy 90 metres long and 20 metres wide. Mr Hurley said the changed specifications were extremely concerning. “How was this achieved? Was sizing or strength requirements changed? At no stage has ASH had an opportunity to change its tender based on changed specifications,” he said. “In fact, the opposite has occured and Cross Yarra Partnership (the project consortium) made it clear that specifications could not be changed. ASH knows from previous projects, when tendering on the same specification, ASH offers the same EAD IN G

KEY POINTS ■ Tender conditions

met or exceeded by ASH, based at Heyfield in Victoria, included: ■ Architectural specifications required Victorian Ash, whereas Hess will supply imported glulam/LVL. ■ ASH’s 99.5 per cent local content is well above the tender’s required 88.2 per cent. ■ Specified was a minimum of GL17 (glue laminated engineered wood product manufactured from select quality pine timber). ASH produces G18, exceeding the minimum specification requirement.

if not better value for money than the European imports on a ‘like-for-like’ basis.” Mr Hurley said a builder not involved in the Domain tender maintained that clever accounting had created the illusion that a higher proportion of supply was sourced locally. “The imported product also uses cheaper formaldehyde adhesives. ASH uses the best non-formaldehyde adhesives and cannot use formaldehyde adhesives as the emission is above the Safe Work Australia draft guidelines. Formaldehyde adhesives also emit emissions in service,” he said.

• How the new Anzac Station will look. “The builder also advised imported products can use clever technical data to justify a deviation from the project specification – for example, justifying coatings rather than H3 treatment. Coatings are inferior, but less initial cost, compared to the penetrating H3 treatment and rely on more onerous and costly maintenance programs.” Mr Hurley said it appeared a distinctly unlevel playing field had developed. “This is an iconic project that will be seen by thousands of people every day. It is a project that can showcase the best Australian manufacturing and therefore extremely important to ASH and Australian manufacturing,” he said. The tender has been won by German company Hess Timber, which supplied and oversaw the installation of the engineered timber for Bunjil Place at Narre Warren in Melbourne’s south-east. CFMEU Manufacturing has

called for a probity investigation into the procurement decision. “This decision absolutely reeks, and we are deeply suspicious about the advice the Government has received,” said the union’s national secretary, Michael O’Connor. “If the Government is serious about supporting local jobs, they will trigger a probity investigation under the project agreement about what has gone on.” Rail Projects Victoria maintains the floating timber canopy requires specialist expertise and tested industrial fabrication techniques, experience that Hess Timber has from similar projects around the world. Rail Projects Victoria says the 88 per cent of locally sourced materials incudes 93 per cent local steel, with local and regional businesses also benefitting through goods and services needed for the project.

Calls for a probity investigation over station tender can’t hurt

T a time when the Victorian Government it is trying at least to look good and do the right thing by the timber industry in Eastern Victoria while at the same time being hell-bent on shutting it down, the Anzac Metro station decision is puzzling. The station under St Kilda Road is part of the $14 billion-plus MetroTunnel project. Cost of the Anzac station alone is hard to pin down.

australasian

The decision to make timber a major part of the station design – it will have a 90-metre long floating timber canopy – is to be applauded. But the State Government is being criticized that the job was given to a European company which will use European-sourced timber. AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

The successful company Hess Timber - knows its stuff and will no doubt do a magnificent job. Its work on the Bunjil Place project at Narre Warren in Melbourne’s southeast is first class. But why was Australian Sustainable Hardwoods at Heyfield in Gippsland overlooked for the job? To be fair, the contract was awarded by the Cross Yarra Partnership which brings together three of Australia’s leading construction part-

ners - Lendlease Engineering, John Holland and Bouygues Construction - and operates at arms-length to the State Government. But the State Opposition claims that ASH was unfairly treated in the tender process, and the CFMEU’s manufacturing division wants a probity investigation into the procurement decision. It couldn’t hurt; a probity investigation can result in the Government refusing to approve a subcontract. www.timberbiz.com.au

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TIMBER DESIGN

Bunjil Place shows just what can be done on a big scale with timber PHILIP HOPKINS

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T is easy to understand why Bun-

jil Place, a soaring timber building with intricate shapes and a grand foyer in Melbourne’s southeast, has won 13 major architectural and design awards, internationally and within Australia. “South-east residents should stand proud and take a trip down the road to sit and simply take in the breathtaking beauty of YOUR space,” says the City of Casey’s website. For once, the hype is spot on. Bunjil Place, completed in 2017 at a cost of $125 million, is testimony to the aesthetic and structural marvel of modern engineered wood. The architecture and name take inspiration from indigenous fables of ‘Bunjil the creator’, a soaring wedge-tailed eagle that created the world and life. The building is shaped like an eagle and envelops the onlooker. The building’s timber roof floats like protective wings over the people who gather in the foyer, flanked by latticed timber forms that act as the legs and feet of the eagle. Commissioned by the City of Casey, designed by FJMT Architects, built by Multiplex and engineered by TTW (Thomas, Taylor, Whitting) Bunjil Place is a 24,500 square metre structure. Located in Narre Warren, it includes an 800-seat auditorium, art gallery, library, and a flexible exhibition and performance space. Ten firms were short-listed for the project. “We were delighted to win,” said FJMT architect Geoff Croker, who led a team of 12-15 people on the project in the firm’s Melbourne and Sydney offices. “We use a lot of timber in our buildings. It’s a material we like using. Our clients and the public warm to it. It’s a sustainable product, high on our agenda, and the City of Casey were aligned with that,” he said. The team worked closely with the Kulin people in searching for inspiration for the site. “We looked at a timber form, reminiscent of a wing, with Bunjil the embracing mother of the building itself – a cantilevered form embracing the north face, the public realm,” Mr Croker said. The harder south wall backs on to the busy Princes Highway. The design, documentation and the build took up to five years. “It’s actually seven buildings linked together. Each alone would have been a complex building; stitched together even more so,” Mr Croker said. Multiplex, with huge experience in tendering internationally, chose the German company Hess as the manufacturer due to its “double twist”

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

technology. “The Europeans have the machinery to twist in two directions. We haven’t got that machinery in Australia. We can do lots of straight beams, or a single curve, but not a double curve with a twist,” Mr Croker said. “It’s quite an extraordinary process really.” The timber species chosen was certified European spruce because of its grain density and its malleability. The Glulam Timber ‘grid shell’ dominates and defines the central atrium of Bunjil Place. A 12-metre-high glass façade is topped by a 40-metre open plan foyer roof. Multiplex’s senior project manager for the project, Luke Wade, (now construction manager with Kapitol

Group) said the project superintendent made an early, important decision. “The original grid shell structure was going to be structural and hold the roof up, but the superintendent decided it was not a good idea,” Mr Wade said. By making the grid shell structure help hold up the roof, “you would have to build the structure first and put the roof on top”. “By designing the grid steel bends to span the roof, the timber literally hangs and sits on its own footings. It became non-structural.” Other factors in favour of a nonload bearing design were strict fire requirements and the longer procurement process with the Glulam Timber made in Germany and shipped to Australia. There were big engineering challenges dealing with loads, issues related to the differing timber and steel properties, and the required stability for the glazing. The roof shape was particularly challenging, with detailed modelling to create the shape, wind tunnel testing to optimise the wind loads, and assessments of thermal and earthquake effects. www.timberbiz.com.au

TIMBER DESIGN KEY POINTS ■ Bunjil Place in in

Melbourne’s south-east was completed in 2017 at a cost of $125 million.

■ It is a 24,500 square

metre structure and includes an 800-seat auditorium.

■ Certified European

spruce was chosen because of its grain density and its malleability.

A mass timber beam is curved along the perimeter of the grid shell. This beam acts as a connection point between the timber grid shell and the steel roof. A typical beam is 400 millimetres deep and 120mm wide. These beams are laminated with standard-sized lamellas, thin pieces of timber glued together. “That’s how they get it to bend. The bottom piece of timber has 114 lamellas in it. You can visibly see it - numerous small piec-

www.timberbiz.com.au

es of timber,” Mr Wade said. “Hess did trial runs to make sure they could bend it to the radius they needed.” At the very tip of the columns where the tightest curvature occurs, the lamellas reduce to 6mm in depth. The various Glulam timber parts were shipped to Australia in 16 numbered containers. The timber grid shell took 16 weeks to install. Hess provided the install sequence, while Multiplex organised the complex install with riggers and carpenters. “We ended up running triple shifts around the clock,” Mr Wade said. A striking feature of the foyer is the beautiful fiddleback in the Blackbutt veneer walls. “That was one of those lucky things,” Mr Wade said. The subcontractor had to find 40,000 square metres of Blackbutt veneer. They selected a company in Melbourne’s Campbellfield, Finewood Ventech, whose owner/ manager remembered visiting a factory in Queensland two years ago, Mr Wade said. “He said there was this tree that had 40,000sqm sitting in one big stockpile, and some-

A striking feature of the foyer is the beautiful fiddleback in the Blackbutt veneer walls. one was trying to sell it in one lot. He rang – and it was still available. All that veneer came out of one tree. It was just phenomenal, all because one person had seen it. It

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

twigged their memory,” Mr Wade said. “We needed 30,000sqm of veneer for the timber lining but also needed about 5000sqm for the joinery. We

wanted the joinery to match. We ended up with just amazing timber veneer, one of a kind that will never occur again because it literally came out of one tree.”

AUSTRALIAN TIMBER DESIGN AWARDS

BRIEFS DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Homeowners and builders in Queensland caught in the “perfect storm” of rising prices and material shortages now have access to free help to get their homes built. The Accelerated Builder/ Consumer Dispute (ABCD) service went live on July 1 with free professional mediators to help frustrated homeowners and embattled builders find a way to get their homes completed. The independent thirdparty mediation service is available through the QBCC website and expected to run for the next 12 months.

RESEARCH HQ

A new world-scale forest industries research and development powerhouse will be built in Tasmania. The industry co-funded National Institute for Forest Products Innovation NIFPI will be headquartered at the University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus in Launceston and work with research networks around Australia to spearhead the development of clean, green and renewable wood-based products of the future.

FIRST PUSH FEED SAW

STIRLING Machinery has partnered with K&S Pallets to install the first Salvador Push Feed Saw in Australia. This partnership with Salvador is based on a shared set of values, focussed not only on bringing more value to customers operations, enabling them to deliver a superior product to the end user, but also on investing in the technological future of the timber industry, and enabling efficiencies through the use of automation in machining processes.

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE

The Australian Government, through the National Forest Industries Plan, Growing a Better Australia – A Billion tress for Jobs and Growth and in conjunction with Forest & Wood Products Australia, has launched the 2021 National University Wood Challenge. The challenge will award grants of up to $20,000 to each finalist team. The prize money will be used to fund the building, testing and prototyping of valuable and innovative products created from wood and wood fibre.

Taking timber structures to the next level O

ne of Australia’s youngest, yet most innovative medical faculties – Macquarie University’s Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty – has deepened its links between learning, training, research and medical practice with its new four-storey timber Ainsworth Building alongside the Macquarie University Hospital. The impressive 4-storey solid wood building made of binderholz CLT BBS and glulam elements with a double-glazed façade comprises a lecture hall with 200 seats, two study rooms in The Harvard style as well as general learning rooms and break areas, all of which are equipped with high-quality wooden surfaces. The Macquarie University Clinical Education Building – winner of the Peoples’ Choice in the 2020 Australian Timber Design Awards - is elegantly realised using timber and glass to evoke calmness of form, generosity of space and reflects the natural environment using

Peoples’ Choice in the 2020 Australian Timber Design Awards Structural Engineer: Arup Builder: Buildcorp Fabricator: Binderholz Photographer: Brett Boardman and Red Square Media

biophilic design concepts. The building is located on a constrained site adjacent to an operational hospital. The logical house was the use of prefabricated mass timber components that were meticulously crafted offsite to facilitate rapid onsite assembly. The building incorporates glue-laminated Victorian Ash hardwood for the external columns, glue-laminated Spruce for the internal columns and beams, and Spruce CLT for the lift AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

core, all internal floors and shear walls. Timber provides both structural integrity and much of the internal décor of the building. W-shaped hardwood glulam columns at the entrance are a defining feature, transferring vertical loads to the ground. A double-glazed façade reveals the timber structure’s precise geometry, drawing optimal daylight into the interior spaces. Within, the timber provides a cohesive, welcoming facility across various learning spaces. For columns and beams glulam made of European spruce wood was used. All load-bearing walls including the elevator shafts are made of binderholz CLT BBS. Only the connection of the wooden columns with the floor slab was made of concrete and was carried out via a customerspecific steel base plate, which was screwed to the column base via a concrete edge beam. All connection details within the glulam were prefabricated at the factory in Austria and delivered ‘just in time’.

A defining W-shaped CLT column made of Victorian ash at the entrance of the building is an important feature that supports the column-free façade of the first floor. The W-shape allows a clear view from both inside and outside and creates a spacious, inviting foyer that complements the lateral stability of the binderholz CLT BBS core. This structural design element was included as an optical highlight to emphasise the key material ‘solid wood’ in this object. Wood was the key material chosen in the design of this project for its warmth, tactile appeal, durability, sustainability, prefabricated construction possibilities and its unique ability to harmonise contemporary form and function. With 700 tons of wood construction, which was used in this project, large amounts of CO2 can be bound from the atmosphere. Project engineers expect that the timber aspects of the building will save five to six years of energy consumption during operation. www.timberbiz.com.au

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ENGINEERED TIMBER

KEY POINTS ■ Cusp Building

An innate need and vision to improve the world R

O N Goldschlager is a problem solver. A qualified chemical engineer of Jewish faith, he is driven by an intense ethical compass and an intrinsic need to improve the world. His family have worked in the timber industry for more than seven consecutive generations. Ron continues in this tradition, innovating and adapting his businesses within the ever-changing marketplace. Ron has diversified his Hermal Group into the new world economy of sustainability. Initially inspired by the political environment of protecting & conserving old-growth hardwood forests from commercial harvesting, Ron sought to create a new industry based upon Eucalyptus plantations. Recognising that there was a global shortage of timber and that Australia was importing vast volumes of building material and exporting vast volumes of plantation Eucalyptus hardwood logs & woodchips, he could see a problem that needed to be solved. As timber has risen to the fore as a solution in the fight to tackle climate change, offsetting its enormous carbon storage benefits by freighting it across the planet seemed absurd. Turning his attention to our country’s vast hardwood plantation resource, he has done what none other has achieved before him. 10

As timber has risen to the fore as a solution in the fight to tackle climate change, offsetting its enormous carbon storage benefits by freighting it across the planet seemed absurd. Turning his attention to our country’s vast hardwood plantation resource, he has done what none other has achieved before him. Ron has turned a forestbased raw material being sold as woodchips into the world’s first plantation hardwood CLT.

Ron called this CLTP, the ‘P’ emphasizing the “New Supply Line” approach from plantations to projects by and for the people. Cusp Building Solutions is not just about engineered timber. It is a concept with an appetite for smarter solutions, founded to pursue the cutting edge of the built environment and to make dreams into realities. Cusp is the realisation of Ron’s vision to facilitate Australia becoming self-sufficient in timber production and to minimise waste in the timber supply chain. To this end, he is also creating a Bioenergy plant that can generate renewable electricity & heat from the biomass waste of the forest industries. Hermal Bio Energy has developed technology and a process to convert biomass (chemically stored Solar Energy) into sustainable and

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

renewable Bio Energy which has a negative carbon footprint. Food grade carbon dioxide can also be commercially recovered from this process and bio renewable chemicals, solvents, plastics and other commercially required hydrocarbons could be economically manufactured in environmentally friendly new age Bio-chemical plants utilising these Hermal patented processes. Corporate Social Responsibility is fundamental to Cusp’s purpose for being, not just as an integral part of its brand image, but because it is fundamental to Ron’s personal convictions. A decade ago, Ron co-authored a book with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who is internationally regarded as one of the leading scholars and Rabbis of this century, entitled “The Mystery of You – A Journey through the Paradoxes of Life” illustrated in colour by the celebrated artist Victor Majzner. Published in Australia by Hybrid, this book confronts the reader about living life. The book provides incredible insight into how Ron sees the world and his role within it. Ron lives by ‘Yetzer ha-tov’ – the good inclination. When making decisions, he councils: “Could we do such a deed openly, with pride and dignity? If the answer is yes, think it through rationally, if the answer is no, forget about it.”

Solutions is just one of the many successful companies that form part of the Hermal Group. These companies include Sullivans Cove Distillery, Quip$mart, Mortim, CLTP and Cusp, Solarwood International, Hermal Bioenergy and Westernport Marina, amongst others.

■ The Goldschlager

family provides funds to needy and deserving through their Philanthropic trust.

■ Ron Goldschlager was

chairman of Australian Sustainable Hardwoods in Heyfield Victoria, and chairman of Leibler Yavneh College between 1990 and 1992.

Blessed with four wonderful married children & 14 amazing grandchildren, Ron has a passion for helping to ensure a better future for the next generation and beyond. Ron wants to inspire people to improve their lives by exciting their imaginations to experience new, positive and creative experiences. This shows in the team that he has built to take Cusp forward. Drawn to a brand DNA that’s driven to ‘do cool stuff’ their greatest challenge will be reigning in the enthusiasm of their founder. When you combine Ron’s faith with a scientific background in engineering, chemistry, biology, physics and maths, it’s little wonder that Ron has founded a brand that is always working on what’s next. Ron smiles and says that “Cusp” is comprised by three fundamental elements: The Cusp “C” is for Carbon and the negative carbon footprint of CLTP. The “us” in the middle is for all of us involved to share and to care and to enable. The “P” is for the people. www.timberbiz.com.au

ENGINEERED TIMBER ASH moves into engineered flooring

EYFIELD’S Australian

Tassie’s new CLT C

Tasmania has officially launched the world’s first hardwood Cross Laminated Timber, along with its new brand – Cusp Building Solutions. Cusp CLT is made from Tasmanian Plantation Oak (Eucalyptus Nitens) sourced from certified sustainable plantations grown in Tasmania. Using a resource that is currently exported as woodchips, CLTP has created a world-leading Mass Timber product for the Australian building industry. Robert Morris-Nunn (AM), one of Tasmania’s most adventurous and respected architects officially launched LTP

the product and brand, with a keynote presentation about the future of the built environment. “I’ve waited 20 years to see this type of innovation come to fruition in Tasmania,” Mr Morris-Nunn said.

Sustainable Hardwoods is set to become the first company in Australia to manufacture engineered plantation floorboards.

•

The new hardwood Cross Laminated Timber during production (Inset) Cusp Chief Executive Officer Chris Skeels-Piggins

•

“I’m already working on incorporating Cusp CLT into several very exciting projects. It is definitely the future of construction in this state.” Cusp Chief Executive Officer, Chris Skeels-Piggins said the business was born from a fundamental belief that it’s our obligation to extract the best possible value from the resources entrusted to us. “Cusp is about transformation, sustainability and a determination to drive change. Change that is in perpetual motion: improving the built environment while continuously protecting the natural one.“The result is building solutions at the lead-

ing edge, with impeccable sustainability credentials. We discover better ways to create strikingly beautiful, effortlessly useful buildings and spaces. We also understand what matters in the wider world and how we can make a positive contribution to its future.” In a world-first, Cusp’s CLT products have achieved certification from the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA). Cusp was launched to a gathering of architects, builders, and stakeholders at the Henry Jones Atrium, a space designed by Morris Nunn almost 20 years ago.

Bio Composite plant plans T

IMBERLINK to build Tasmania’s first Bio Composite plant A $5.8m grant to support construction of the $12m plant was awarded from the Tasmanian Recycling Modernisation Fund (Plastics) Grants Program (RMF). The Bio Composite plant will produce Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) products that will upcycle plastic waste and plantation timber mill residues, producing decking and screening for commercial and residential applications. This technology will enable Timberlink to manufacture a wide range of WPC products over time. The Timberlink Wood Plastic Composite Plant intends to source the recycled HDPE (a type of plastic) for the core of the product from Tasmania; utilising existing industry capability and ensuring that the feedstock for this www.timberbiz.com.au

plant where possible is a Tasmanian on-island solution. This will significantly enhance the circular economy in Tasmania and generate economic value to Tasmania as these products will be sold in Tasmania and the mainland. David Oliver, Timberlink’s EGM Sales, Marketing & Corporate Affairs said that at full production, the project will divert HDPE plastic from landfill at an equivalent to an approximate 83% increase over current HDPE recycled in Tasmania based on FY19 levels . The project is shovel ready and will commence immediately. Timberlink intends to have the project completed and in production by De-

cember 2022. The project significantly enhances Australia’s Sovereign Capability to manufacture this type of product in the most environmentally friendly way. Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the project would “help to protect the environment, boost the economy and create jobs”. The energy to power the plant will be sourced from Tasmanian Hydro Power and a solar farm located on the roof of the new facility. Rainwater tanks will be installed to harvest rainwater which will be used for cooling in the manufacturing process. “The partnership through the RMF will help Tasmanian businesses invest in new, ground-breaking ideas and technologies that will turn waste into new resources and products, creating local

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

jobs and helping to build a circular economy in Tasmania,” Mr Jaensch said. Bridget Archer said Timberlink was a significant employer in the George Town area, and contributed more than $150 million to the local economy. “I have long been supportive of the work Timberlink does and am thrilled they have been successful in receiving an RMF grant. The grant is not only great news for the environment, it also provides a boost for Timberlink and our community through the creation of more jobs,” she said. The Wood Plastics Composite plant will create: • New Jobs - 20 during the construction phase and 11 at full production • New recycled product demand increasing on island demand for recycled HDPE materials.

The mill and three other businesses across Gippsland will share in more than $2.3 million in grants through the State Government’s Timber Innovation Fund. ASH has received $1.6 million to install a new manufacturing line to produce engineered flooring made from plantation shining gum and radiata pine plywood and to expand both its online and retail outlet. This will make ASH the only company in the country to manufacture this kind of high-value plantation product. A new retail outlet will sell the floorboards as well as some of their existing products, such as staircase and furniture components. It will also create a market and secure the supply chain for ASH’s expanded line of plantation-based products into the future. This will help to open new markets as ASH prepares to transition from native timber joinery to products manufactured from plantation timber. Australian Sustainable Hardwoods Managing Director Vince Hurley said the grant from the Victorian Timber Innovation Fund had enabled ASH to commence construction of the new engineered flooring line which is a first for Australia resulting in more jobs in regional Victoria. In addition to ASH, three other grant recipients across Gippsland are diversifying their businesses by experimenting with new products using different timber sources: $397,000 for Radial Timber in Yarram to introduce a small log line and experiment with processing plantation timber $246,000 for Longwarry Sawmill in Longwarry to use recycled and reclaimed timber to make new timber products $40,000 for Brunt’s Harvesting in Orbost to undertake a feasibility study for transition to plantation harvesting.

TIMBER PLANERS

Glulam, CLT lines covered T Superles 1300 8V+4F is the new allrounder among Ledinek’s planing machines. Designed for glulam and CLT production lines, the new Superles can be used as a finishing planer, profiling line and, if required, also as a grinding machine for finishing elements. The first machine of this type is about to be delivered and will be used in a cross-laminated timber plant. Planing has always been one of Ledinek’s core competencies. Over the past few years and decades, the company has frequently launched new and further developHE

ments in planing, thereby offering its customers tailormade solutions which meet the rapidly changing market requirements. With the Superles product line, Ledinek has developed a premium high-performance wide planer for the production of high-quality bars, solid structural timber, duo/trio beams, glue-laminated and crosslaminated timber for timber engineering. “We developed our Superles machines for a wide range

of uses and the best surface quality. In the development process, we made sure that the big possible dimensions of the construction elements don’t have a negative effect on the processing speed or life cycle of the machines,” sales manager Robert Mlinaric said. Now, Ledinek is expanding its Superles line to include the 1300 8V+4F type for

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

beams with cross-sections of up to 1350 by 320mm. The new versatile machine can be used as finishing planer, for profiling and, if necessary, as a grinding machine for finishing the elements from above and below. The

first machine of this type is currently being completed at the company’s headquarters in Hoce, Slovenia. It has eight cuttershafts for calibrating and profiling as well as four chamfering units which can be combined individually.

www.timberbiz.com.au

TIMBER PLANERS The new versatile machine can be used as finishing planer, for profiling and, if necessary, as a grinding machine for finishing the elements from above and below. Ledinek also integrated a specially developed surface grinding unit. “This unit has a grinding depth of 0.2 to 0.3 mm and thanks to the oscillating movements, it generates perfect grinding patterns and guarantees a long life cycle of the grinding belts,” sales engineer Andrej Holc said. Intended both as a finishing planer for glulam and CLT elements, the first machine of this type will be used in a CLT production plant where it primarily does the final calibration of the elements, which are up to 1250mm wide. As for visible quality elements, the machine also does the grinding. Holc mentions the

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lateral profiling of the elements as a further possible application of the Superles: “After that, the elements only have to be assembled on the construction site according to their profiles.” Equipped with eight cuttershafts and four chamfering units, the machine can easily process straight glulam elements. “With this further development, we successfully created an extremely versatile finishing planer which is interesting not only for big, but also for small and mediumsized plants,” Holc said. Furthermore, Ledinek has recently developed numerous other components which

can be integrated as modules into all Superles machines. Holc gives special rabbeting units, grooving and vertical profiling spindles as examples. The latter have a clamp length of 630mm and a spindle diameter of 80mm. The spindle has an axial adjustment range of 330mm which enables the planer to finish glued beam blocks of up to 600mm in thickness. “Thanks to the enormous axial adjustment range and the possibility to equip the vertical spindle with various planing and profiling tools, it is also possible to switch to a different product by changing tools at the push of a button without losing time,” Holc said.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

MILLS

BRIEFS FURNITURE BEHEMOTH

A NEW contract furniture behemoth has emerged. Herman Miller officially closed on its $1.8 billion acquisition of Knoll this week. Announced on April 19, the acquisition combines two of the top 5 contract furniture makers in North America. And with the closing comes a new name: MillerKnoll. The company has submitted a proposal to its shareholders to seek approval for the name change. The two companies collectively represent 19 brands and have a presence across more than 100 countries, a global dealer network, 64 showrooms globally, more than 50 physical retail locations, and global multi-channel e-commerce capabilities.

NEW PLANT

MILLWORK distributor and manufacturer Dyke Industries has broken ground on a new manufacturing plant in Southeast Indiana. The facility will create more than 50 jobs by 2024. Arkansas-based Dyke invested $13 million to establish the facility, which will feature high-speed interior and exterior door manufacturing lines. The plant will support an existing facility in Cincinnati. Dyke will receive up to $400,000 in conditional tax credits from the state. The plant should be ready for operation by mid-2022.

MASONITE EXPANDS

MASONITE, the tenth-largest woodworking company in North America, will open a few manufacturing plant in Fort Mill, South Carolina - adding more than 200 jobs. The door manufacturer said the 370,000-square-foot facility will produce doors for the North American residential market. Masonite picked the location because of its local workforce and its proximity to suppliers and customers. The plant will be ready for operation early next year with an initial workforce of 220 employees.

OFFICIAL HOST

AWFS announced Ethan Abramson as the official host of the 2021 AWFS Fair. Abramson is a professional furniture maker and hosts woodworking shows nationwide. Attendees can follow him on Instagram @thebuildwithethan and @awfsfair to get hot tips about the fair and to find hidden gems on the show floor.

From poles to specialty timber PHILIP HOPKINS

USTRALIAN S are surrounded by them – the ubiquitous electricity poles. They are the energy lifeblood of the country but also the financial lifeblood of the company that makes them – DTM Timber in Maryborough, Queensland. Yet DTM does not restrict itself to the utilitarian; its products also include exquisite specialty timbers for furniture and wood products sourced from indigenous communities as part of a landmark national program. “When sourcing timber, we firstly chase poles, then sawlog – to be fabricated into cross-arms first for the poles, and then we look at our options for the remaining timber,” said DTM Timber’s general manager, Ian Haines. DTM, owned by parent company Dale & Myers and founded in 1988, is organised into three main divisions (each with sub-divisions) to carry out this work, and employs about 150 people. DTM Timber itself looks after the poles, while Branch 95 harvests specialty timbers from far North Queensland and Hardwoods of Australia deals with timber supplied under Aboriginal procurement guidelines. DTM covers virtually all facets in its operations; it has its own harvesting teams, a full bush operating division, contractors, its own mechanical harvesters and timber cutters as well as a range of processing mills and sites. These handle sawmilling, drying and profiling as well as pole and cross-arm production. “We harvest both power poles and sawlog and supply power poles across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region – a large percentage of Energy Queensland’s poles and we also supply into New South Wales, Victoria, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji,” Mr Haines said. “Another large part of our business the is production and supply of the cross-arms used on top of the poles.” A variety of timbers is used for the poles, but the main species are Spotted Gum, Ironbark, Gympie Messmate and Blackbutt. Trucks bring logs in from the bush, where they are graded and sorted to allow best use of the resource. This could be as a power pole, construction

• DTM Timber’s general manager Ian Haines with the company’s boardroom table made from Queensland Forest Red.

KEY POINTS ■ DTM’s sawn timber cut

from the sawlog at the green mills is either sold direct to market or sent in to be treated and kilndried in Maryborough.

■ The dry mill at

Maryborough also includes a processing section for flooring, decking, cladding, screening, and products for the building industry.

■ Queensland Silver Ash,

Black Wattle, Black Bean, Acacia Cedar, Briar Silky Oak, Red Tulip Oak are processed into furniture grade timbers.

pile or a sawlog to be sawn in the company’s green mills, such as the large one at Tiaro near Maryborough. Power poles are processed and treated to rigorous Australian standards that are demanded by the energy companies. “There is significant amount of work and technology involved in achieving these standards. The demands from the companies are precise. You have to produce exactly the pole they need and when they need it,” he said. The sawn timber cut from the sawlog at the green mills is either sold direct to market as GOS (Green off Saw) timber or sent in to be treated and kiln-dried in Maryborough AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

The company also has its own logistics division that takes the poles to depots and sites from far north Queensland and down into NSW. Special crane trucks are used to deliver them to the various sites. “The rest of the business is – what to do with the ‘fall down’ from that. If we do not make a pole, it becomes sawlog. If not a cross-arm, we then work out what else we can make from it. Unless we utilise the whole of the resource, we don’t make money and the resource is wasted,” Mr Haines said. “We are all about value-adding the waste material and converting it into something of use and higher value.” The dry mill at Maryborough also includes a processing section for flooring, decking, cladding, screening, and products for the building industry. Glue lamination and a finger-joint line create a range of highervalue products. “This is difficult process using hardwood timbers. We have and are spending millions of dollars on it,” he said. DTM’s boardroom features a magnificent board table, four metres long by 1.2 metres wide, made from Queensland Forest Red, with a strip of liquid glass down the middle. The table weighs 400 kilograms. Next to it is a lovely small round table also made of laminated Queensland Forest Red. DTM has sales representatives in Melbourne, Sydney

and Brisbane who look after the large network of wholesalers and merchants. Branch 95 deals in specialty hardwood timbers from far North Queensland, some of which “have not been seen in the marketplace for many years”, Mr Haines said. These included unusual species such as Queensland Silver Ash, Black Wattle, Black Bean, Acacia Cedar, Briar Silky Oak, Red Tulip Oak. These different species are processed into furniture grade timbers, high-end flooring, decorative cladding for local and export markets, and laminated bench tops and tabletops. The refurbished headquarters in Brisbane of the peak industry body, Timber Queensland, features a glorious boardroom table with timbers provided by Branch 95. DTM’s third arm, Hardwoods of Australia, is unique, working in the indigenous supply sphere and largely under the Aboriginal Participation in Construction policy. “It’s been endorsed to supply specially sourced and processed timber as certified indigenous material,” Mr Haines said. Tier one construction firms such as Lend Lease and Multiplex get credit when they use these products. A mandate from the Federal Government and a company’s own charter requires them to spend a significant per cent of the value of a project on indigenous products. Mr Haines said the program had had mixed success in the past, but Government now monitored it more strictly to weed out sham claims. “Money is being put back into indigenous communities; people are being trained and employed,” he said. The timber is sourced from indigenous land. “The biggest resource we are using is Darwin Stringybark, on boardwalks and decks. Major projects include the Cairns boardwalk,” he said. “Darwin Stringybark is very hard, a very durable timber, it comes from far North Queensland and Northern Territory. It grows in a very harsh environment so creates a very durable timber. We machine that into different profiles, and also kiln dry it for furniture and flooring production.” www.timberbiz.com.au

WOODWORKING EQUIPMENT SMART SOLUTIONS FOR SMART TIMBER PEOPLE

AUTO STACKERS

VACUUM LIF TERS

The Stacker is the per fect solution to continuously stack timber into packs all day long without any super vision. This machine is ideally suited to any moulding, f inger jointing or docking line and will improve productivity and safety. The automated Stacker is a robust, reliable, economical and user friendly solution to stacking timber.

The Vacuum Lif ter can be used to unload and load timber one piece, or a layer, at a time. When unloading a f illet sweeper can be incorporated to automatically clear the f illet s in between the layers. The vacuum lif ter is an ex tremely versatile piece of equipment that is a must for any high speed, heav y lif ting, long piece, or repetitive applications.

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FORKLIFTS

Combilift hits landmark with machine No. 60,000

•

The staff behind the construction of Combilift’s 60,000th machine at the company’s

RI S H manufacturer Combilift recently marked a further milestone when its 60,000th unit came off the production lines at the company HQ in Monaghan and was shipped to the other side of the world. The customer taking delivery of this special forklift is Metroll, a leading Australian manufacturer and supplier of building products. Metroll has branches across the country, and the new Combi-CB3000 will be a further addition to its fleet of 13 Combilifts that are operating throughout the Metroll Group, with another 10 already on order. These range from 3t multidirectional units to a highly customised 10t model. Combilift number 60,000 will be working at the site in Toowoomba

and has been fitted with features such as 4.9m triplex mast with a 3050mm spreader to safely and easily manage the long loads that are typically handled by Metroll. “Like most businesses we are very busy and we’re also growing at a significant rate, so space has become a premium resource,” Metroll Operations Manager Vic Josephs said. “With this unit we can utilise our space more efficiently whilst at the same time operating safely. Safety is of paramount importance. This forklift allows our machinery to get into tighter spaces and for us to space our racks more closely together to maximise factory floor space.” Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar said the delivery of the 60,000th unit was a great achievement for Combilift. “Particularly as almost every truck we manufacture is a one-off, designed for specific and individual requirements. “There are very few other companies, if any, that can offer this level of customisation whilst manufacturing in such volume. The first half of this year has been by far the best in our 23 year history for the number of orders we have received – not just for Combi-CB models but across our complete product range.” Chris Littlewood, Country Manager of Combilift Australia said: the Combi-CB 3t model was the most popular unit in the Australian market and accounted for 50% of the machines sold in the year ending March 2021. “So we are particularly pleased that it is one of our customers in this country that has been able to receive this landmark machine,” he said. Following the successful collaboration with Metroll in Australia, Combilift now also supplies its trucks to the company’s Californian based operations as well. “We have often found that a recommendation from one country leads to sites elsewhere adopting the same material handling processes with our products,” Mr McVicar said. “So we’d like to congratulate Metroll on taking delivery of our 60,000th truck, and thank them for their continued support over the years.”

SAFETY STORAGE EFFICIENCY Manage your timber more safely and more productively using less space with Combilift materials handling solutions

• Safer product handling • Optimised production space • Improved storage capacity • Increased productivity & output • Enhanced profits

SCAN FOR MORE

combilift.com/atm

•

The new Combi-CB3000 on site at Metroll in Toowoomba.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

www.timberbiz.com.au

Forest Forest Contractor Contractor Training Training and and Certification Certification

SETTING SETTING THE THE STANDARD STANDARD

Recognising Recognising safe, safe, environmental environmental and and sustainable sustainable business business practices practices within within the the industry. industry.

Industry Industry led led certification certification designed designed for for forest forest contracting contracting businesses businesses

ForestFit Certification aims to create: ForestFit Certification aims to create: Alignment with existing Codes of Practice, regulations and ISO and Alignment with existing Codes of Practice, regulations and ISO and Australian Standards. Australian Standards. Efficiencies by reducing overall management costs from improved Efficiencies by reducing overall management costs from improved work practices and 'deemed to comply' status with other work practices and 'deemed to comply' status with other certifications resulting in lower costs for compliance and auditing. certifications resulting in lower costs for compliance and auditing. Quality consistency with regular third party audits to maintain Quality consistency with regular third party audits to maintain system integrity to ensure contractors are managing risks and system integrity to ensure contractors are managing risks and monitoring safety and environmental performance. monitoring safety and environmental performance.

TIMBER SALES

Pandemic response pushing timber sales volumes

majority of quarterly Timber Market Survey participants reported sales volume increases in the March 2021 quarter. For the most part, increased sale volumes were considered to be linked to COVID 19 impacts or State or Federal government measures in place to deal with the pandemic. Across those participants reporting an increase, sale volumes ranged between 5% and 30% higher compared to the previous quarter. When asked if COVID-19 related factors are expected to impact sales in the following (June) quarter, the response was mixed. Of those participants expecting further impacts, most expected an increase in sale volumes of around 15% on average, with the remainder expecting no change or a slight decrease from current levels. In addition to the COVID-19 impacts arising from Australia’s response to the pandemic, COVID-19 related impacts in other timber markets particularly North America - had a significant effect on domestic timber markets in the March quarter. Supply shortages in the United States and Canada arising from business closures during ‘lockdown’ periods to control the spread of thevirus, combined with the largely unexpected high demand for housing and timber products, has led to unprecedented price increases for a range of lumber products. The premium pricing seen HE

in North American lumber markets has diverted imported supply of some timber products that would have otherwise been destined for Australia. This has further restricted Australia’s already limited imported timber supply (due to COVID-19 related freight delays) and has had a compounding effect on the tight domestic supply situation for certain timber products. TMS participants reported that supply shortages and delivery delays for some imported timber products were coupled with sharp price increases for those products, most notably LVL. This situation has reportedly contributed to delays in a portion of residential construction projects

he quarterly Timber Market Survey (TMS) report presents Australian timber price movement data collected through the quarterly surveying of a representative range of timber product traders in eastern Australia. The TMS collects data on the movement in buying price of a wide range of timber products purchased and stocked by survey participants. Price movement data is presented in nominal terms unless otherwise stated. All TMS reports contain price trend results for softwood timber, panels and engineered wood products. In addition, the June and December quarter reports contain price trend information for a range of hardwood products. Note: Price changes in this report are based solely on TMS survey data; individuals may experience different price movements in their own markets.

KEY POINTS ■ Quarterly price movements -

for softwood products

■ Upward price movements

for untreated structural MGP10 and MGP12 products ranged between 4.2% and 4.8%, while treated F7 product prices increased between 3.3% and 6.0%.

■ Upward price movements

for treated sleeper and decking products ranged between 4.7% and 7.1%, respectively.

■ Upward price movements

WEINIG Powermat 1500 The valuable moulder for ideal profitability 18

for plywood and MDF products ranged between 2.0% and 4.7%, with more moderate price increases for particleboard products.

www.weinig.com.au sales@weinig.com.au 1800 736 460

■ Upward price movements for

LVL and I-joist/I-beam products ranged between 7.4% and 9.9%.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland (TMS states), particularly those utilising cassette flooring systems. TMS participants have reported high demand for softwood timber products more broadly, and this has led to generally strong timber price growth over the March quarter. Demand is expected to continue with March quarter residential finance approvals for detached housing increasing by around 11% on average across TMS states1. Construction of apartments and other nondetached dwellings have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic compared to detached housing. The last 6 months of finance approvals data indicates a recovery in this segment of the market is underway with approvals increasing by around 60% on average in recent quarters 1. The TMS will continue to monitor COVID-19 impacts on TMS price trends throughout the duration of the pandemic. 1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Building Approvals, Australia – March 2021. www.timberbiz.com.au

WOODWORKING

No more tear-out edges and badly cut middle layers T HE topic of Finishes and Decors is on the move as never before in the furniture industry, in shop fitting or in interior design. Digital and direct prints on ultra-thin decors, fine haptics, matt and high-gloss looks, nanotechnologies, anti-fingerprint materials or combinations of plastic and wood derived material dominate the material trends. However, as fine as the material finishes are, the true art of perfection can only be seen in the quality and appearance of the final edges. This presents many users with difficulties, especially when sizing and grooving on CNC machining centres. After all, the perfect edge has to be produced without bringing the cost-benefit ratio into an unbalanced position. The solution: diamond-tipped shank cutters from the Diamaster EdgeExpert series from Leitz. Tear-outs on both sides of the edges, unclean cut finishes and lots of time-consuming reworking - this scenario alone makes many CNC users break out in a sweat. And when the tools start to fail excessively, good advice is often needed. This is not the case with the Diamaster EdgeExpert shank cutters from Leitz. Perfect edges, absolutely flawless middle layers and up to 30 percent longer tool

• The range of Diamaster EdgeExpert shank cutters. They are available from stock, in three different performance categories. (Photo: Leitz)

life become reality. This is a fantastic savings potential compared to conventional solutions - with relatively low purchase costs and particularly low service costs. The main attraction here is the special, spiral-shaped arrangement of the cutting edges. With alternating cutting angles between 45 and 54 degrees, they always machine the material at the perfect working angle. Lower cutting angles used in conventional cutting tools allow cleanly cut middle layers, however, the edges break out much more frequently. The opposite is the case with cutting angles that are set too high. In this case, the edge quality increases, but the vibrations that occur on the workpiece prevent the perfect cut of the base material. Defective middle layers are the result.

The CNC shank cutters of the EdgeExpert series from Leitz are available from stock in three different performance categories. The Diamaster PRO EdgeExpert, for example, is available as a Z1+1 version in two working lengths, each with a diameter of 16 mm. As a starter model, it is perfectly suited for small and medium batch sizes and can be resharpened up to four times. The Diamaster QUATTRO EdgeExpert is the all-rounder for medium to large batch sizes. The Z2+2 version with a diameter of 20 mm allows much higher feed rates and thus shorter machining times. It can be resharpened up to six times and thus provides a perfect cost-benefit ratio in its category. For very large batch sizes and extremely high feed

• The Diamaster PLUS3

EdgeExpert: Perfect edges and cutting areas, as well as extremely high feed rates - even in tricky materials. This diamond shank cutter can be resharpened up to eight times. (Photo: Leitz)

www.timberbiz.com.au

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

rates, the Diamaster PLUS3 EdgeExpert is the perfect choice. Available with a diameter of 25 mm, in various cutting lengths, it is the perfect solution when perfect cutting quality is required, such as on machining centres with zerojoint edging technology. This Z3+3 cutter makes this possible primarily due to the RealZ3 technology developed by Leitz and can be resharpened up to eight times. The diamond-tipped shank cutters of the EdgeExpert series are suitable for use in all types of chip and fibre materials. No matter if it is raw, plastic-coated or with sensitive decorative papers, foils or veneers. Even laminated woods such as plywood or multiplex with delicate finishes can be machined perfectly and highly economically with the EdgeExpert shank cutters. Another advantage is the optimal chip removal, which results in significantly less wear on the cutting edges. Even more advantages and time savings are achieved by users who order their Leitz tools as a complete system in combination with a high-performance shrink fit chuck. Perfectly assembled, balanced and including the supplied setting data, these tool systems are ready for use immediately after delivery - as a new tool ex works or also after sharpening in manufacturer quality, in one of the more than 120 Leitz sharpening services around the globe. All in all, these solutions in new dimensions show why Leitz simply offers more. Knowledge and reliability for more quality, efficiency, productivity and flexibility and thus for more success of the users of Leitz products.

BRIEFS SUPPLY CHAIN

ENVIRONMENTAL nonprofit organisation Preferred by Nature and blockchain-inspired identity platform iov42 have launched Timber Chain, a new service that will enable stakeholders across timber supply chains to improve efficiency, transparency and security through a secure blockchain application, storing all information in one place. By combining blockchain technology, third-party certification and market knowledge, the Timber Chain modernises traceability, introducing real-time digital data recording, replacing traditional, paper-based processes which are labour intensive and often prone to human error.

KOREA TESTING PREFAB

THREE types of Prefabricated Composite Beams have been tested at the Korea National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) with the objective of developing a prototype prefab floor and wall system suitable for Korea’s detached housing market. The research program is jointly funded by Canada Wood Korea and Green Cube, a Korean prefab wood housing company. Lightweight and costeffective, wood composite beams are becoming more prevalent in structural system design. The tested beams are made of 2×10 and 2×4 dimensional lumber and OSB from Canada. Results will form the basis for engineering values for each roof and floor element and should influence building code requirements for the use of such systems in Korea.

WPMA CEO

JON Tanner has stepped down as the Wood Processors & Manufacturers Association of New Zealand Chief Executive after ten years in the role. WPMA Chair Brian Stanley said the Board has begun the search for a replacement and expects a good talent pool of candidates.

MILLS CUT PRODUCTION

CITING significant supply chain challenges and transportation backlogs in Western Canada, the result of extreme wildfire conditions, Canfor Corporation has announced it will be curtailing approximately 115 million board feet of production capacity at its Canadian sawmills during Q3. 19

ASSOCIATIONS australasian

Looking Back 2020

THE Victorian timber company ASH, through innovative hardwood engineered products that are a world first, has forged a commanding presence in Australia’s $1 billion mass timber market. The company, based at Heyfield, about 200 kilometres east of Melbourne in central Gippsland, now manufactures large engineered Victorian Ash hardwood columns and beams in a single process using the largest CNC (computer controlled) German Hundegger machinery. The products, dubbed MASSLAM, are up to 12 metres long. The process gives ASH ‘more bang for its Ash buck’. The company has just completed a number of large MASSLAM projects including one at the University of Tasmania in Burnie. Ten other projects are confirmed, with another 30 in the pipeline. The timber packages alone are worth between $100,000 and $4 million each.

2016

CONSUMER research into perceptions around the environment and climate change indicate that the forestry and wood products industry are increasingly viewed as making positive contributions to carbon sequestration and emissions reduction. These research results are also available to industry to use in company and marketing communications. As part of continually monitoring the market for wood and wood products, Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd (FWPA) conducts annual consumer research studies. The results of this research not only provide information about how people perceive and use wood, they also deliver insights into how consumers regard the relationship between the forest and wood products industry and the environment.

2011

CHRISTCHURCH’S solid Timber Innovation Company will feature in the national Winning With Wood showcase of timber innovation sites during Rugby World Cup 2011 despite the earthquake-devastated city’s loss of its status as a match venue. Winning With Wood, a national showcase of timber innovation, will display a wide range of innovative uses of wood at 30 sites throughout New Zealand during Rugby World Cup 2011.

Putting timber connections to the test T

• Structural testing labs

ESTIN G is one of several tools for verifying compliance with the NCC, and it’s certainly the most hands-on (and the most fun). What follows is a peek behind the curtain at the process and how it produces results that can be relied on for the design life of the structures our connectors are used in. For nails, screws, nailplates, and brackets this process is outlined in the fasteners and connectors testing standard, AS1649.

EXPLORATION AND PROTOTYPING The AS1649 authors understood that the formal testing protocols it requires would be the last step, not the first one. “The Standard presumes that before any of the described tests…are commenced some exploratory testing would be expected”. There are some powerful analytical tools available to engineers these days which can provide useful insights into how a component will perform before it’s even made. These mean you can (virtually) poke, prod, and experiment with a product in as many scenarios as you can imagine and compare a range of design options before you even think about bending and cutting metal. When it comes to the physical product, though, a range of other factors can impact its performance. Does it come out of the factory as per the drawing/model? Are the manufacturing tolerances the right balance between delivering a product that will perform consistently over time, and one that is practical to make? Can the assumptions I made in my computer model be replicated in the real world, repeatedly, by the end users when they install it? This where getting into a lab (and often breaking things) comes into its own. FORMAL INDEPENDENT TESTING The NCC lists a report by a “registered testing authority” as one of several ways to demonstrate compliance with the code. In Australia, “registered” means accredited by the National Association of

help us design custom testing arrangements and provide the confidence of correctly calibrated equipment, certified technicians, and formal reporting

ADAM DAWSON TECHNICAL MANAGER AT PRYDA

Testing Authorities (NATA), who assess and certify labs to perform specific tests. This is important to note – NATA’s scope is incredibly broad and being ‘NATA-certified’ is meaningless if that certification doesn’t cover the tests

being performed. They may know everything about specialist medical equipment and nothing about structural engineering. Achieving and maintaining NATA accreditation involves a thorough assessment of a lab’s management systems, staff, testing methods, quality control, equipment (including calibration), results recording and its operating environment. As much as we enjoy doing our own experimentation, the level of expertise, quality, and value that can be added by NATA-certified professionals is an important part of our overall testing and certification process. BRINGING TESTING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY When AS1649 was writ-

ten, the statistical methods needed to convert raw testing data into a capacity value with a known degree of confidence were too time consuming to be standard practice. These days they’re a simple function in Microsoft Excel. A new industry committee has recently formed to explore how we can modernise testing and data analysis methods so that we can be faster, more agile, and more confident in our results. This project was initiated by Swinburne University and is being broadly supported with sponsorship, products, and technical input from the industry to help ensure timber connections are designed as reliably and efficiently as possible. Ultimately this process is all about supporting the success of timber as the building material of choice for lightweight framing. Testing helps us get the products right, get them used correctly, and ensure they deliver what they promise.

• FEM (finite element modelling), shown on the left, is a great tool for examining and

predicting physical product performance (right). In this example we see the deformed shape of the post anchor closely matches our theoretical model. AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

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Is your builder a Carbon Warrior? C OULD you imagine

the hype if timber was a new invention? It would be hailed as the product that could help the world address climate change as it is truly the Ultimate Renewable building material. Timber has been used for centuries as it was a product readily available and was easy to use, however, with the focus on environmentally friendly building materials growing, it is now being recognised for what it does naturally, storing carbon for life. Unlike other building materials, when timber framing is manufactured today, it is replanted for tomorrow and that is why timber is the ultimate framing material. Over the years we have seen large events promote their environmental credentials, however, the French have taken it to a new level as they aim for environmental excellence in the upcoming Olympic Games where they are pursuing a lower carbon footprint than the London Games of 2016. How are they doing this? They are going back to the building materials used for centuries which of course is timber, as they recognise that timber stores carbon for life. In fact, the French Government have announced plans for a sustainability law that will ensure all new public buildings are built from at least 50 per cent timber or other natural materials which will be implemented by 2022.

duced by greenhouse gasemitting generators) that is used to convert the wood in trees to framing timber. Environmental advantage: Stores carbon from atmosphere: Choosing wood removes greenhouse gases from the air. Approximately half the dry weight of wood is carbon, absorbed from the atmosphere by a growing tree. Using timber in buildings stores the carbon for as long as the building exists, or the timber is reused or recycled.

SO HOW CAN AUSTRALIAN’S TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE? The biggest financial investment the average Australian will make in their lifetime is their home, but did you know, one of the biggest environmental investment the average Australian could make is also their home as by choosing sustainably sourced certified timber framing they can make a positive difference to the worlds environment. Here is a few simple facts from WoodSolutions to back up this claim: Environmental Advantage: Low embodied energy: Wood has the lowest embodied energy of all common building materials. This is a measure of the energy (usually pro-

FABRICATORS MAKE IT EASY WITH NEW CARBON CALCULATOR. FTMA Australia along with MiTek, Multinail & Pryda recognised the importance of building environmentally friendly buildings which store carbon for life. This is something our members and customers do every day; they manufacture timber structural products for the housing industry which stores carbon for life and helps address climate change. Builders choose sustainably sourced certified timber framing as it is proven and popular, strong, stable, and fast to assemble. These are just a few of the benefits, but with the new environmental

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FRAME & TRUSS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

FTMA Australia is an independent, national organisation representing fabricators of and suppliers to the timber prefabricated truss and wall frame industry in all Australian states & territories providing a uniﬁed voice, to protect and advance our multi-billion dollar industry.

FTMA Australia thanks our dedicated supporters and encourages you to support those who support your industry KERSTEN GENTLE Executive Officer FTMA Australia

“We support you!”

age, we felt it was important for builders to understand exactly how much carbon is stored in the structural components. It was agreed by all that a carbon calculator would be developed and added to the software. Only timber included in structural works generated by the NPM software – roof trusses, floor trusses and wall frames are included in the calculator. We know that 50% of the dry weight of timber is carbon, that has been removed from the atmosphere. Unlike other building products, we didn’t want to over exaggerate the environmental benefits, as there is no need. Our calculation is the weight of timber material (volume by relevant density dependent on each element) included in the structural components x 0.42, rounded down to the nearest 10kg. So, if anything, we are underestimating the amount of carbon stored and, in every quote, or layout such as this example by Universal Trusses in Canberra clearly states the Structural Timber products supplied in this building stores approximately 610 kg of carbon. We don’t need to use spin, we just use facts and if your builder cares about the future and the worlds environment, then they too will become Carbon Warriors, building houses that store carbon for life. Now the average Australian Family can make the biggest environmental investment in their lifetime by choosing Timber Framing. The Ultimate Renewable. AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

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For a full list of the conditions of membership and a downloadable application form visit: www.ftmanews.com.au 21

ASSOCIATIONS

•

This wall features carefully matched strips of American Cherrywood.

Matching timber veneers T HE majority of timber

veneer projects utilizing wall, ceiling and joinery panels need careful matching to fulfil the architect’s /designer’s vision. The most common method of manufacture, and the most cost effective, is to “nest” panels, (that is stacking several panels and cutting them all at once, without consideration for grain or colour matching). They are then cut to specific sizes and reassembled into joinery or wall and ceiling pieces. This can result in the veneer from different coloured natural timber veneer logs being mixed, with unwanted colour and grain variation - many

TERRY FRANKLIN President Timber Veneer Association of Australia

veneers require careful cutting and matching to achieve the required result. On the other hand, some veneers

work well with this process, particularly reconstituted veneers For larger projects using timber veneers with varying colours and grain within the one species, TVAA members can match panels per apartment or per floor as required, with special attention paid to entry doors in elevations that are manufactured by second or third parties. TVAA members have the ability to number panels for sequencing and to size panels correctly so that grain matching continues through wall panels and doors within that sequence. However, a common scenario is that wall panels, ceil-

ing panels and joinery panels are produced by different contractors, often sourcing veneer from different suppliers for a variety of reasons. To expect the timber veneer doors to match the wall paneling and overhead bulkheads is unreasonable if they are not sourced from the same supplier when the wall panel sequence is being produced - in fact it is nigh impossible, and often the main reason why veneer projects under-achieve in the finished result. Alternative veneer layups can also help if higher volume production is required, colour matched mismatched veneer panels can blend in

Legal and IR

regardless of how they are cut and placed and are often the preferred product for large open areas. Mass produced veneer sheets are often suitable for joinery applications but where matching is required, please talk to your TVAA member for advice on how to match veneers for specific projects. You may pay a bit more but it is sound insurance against costly replacement expenses. Finally, communication is the key, TVAA members can produce amazing products if given the correct information to ensure your vision is a one-of-a-kind, planet friendly project.

Timber Advisory Service

Serving independent timber and hardware businesses by providing valuable back of house services...

National Support Centre 1800 888 479 (Option 1) www.mgatma.com.au

Training

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

Member Benefits

Advocacy

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New wage theft laws a warning I T always strikes me how

quickly a new term or phrase can catch on so quickly and then becomes part of the lexicon used by all and sundry to describe a previously less fashionable term. The latest to be bandied about by politicians, public servants and the media is the term “wage theft”. I started out in industrial relations as a wet-behind-theears Industrial trainee with the Chamber of Manufacturers (Australian Business) in the early 1980s, and for much the time thereafter, it was known simply as underpayment of wages. A pretty self-explanatory description I hear you say? Indeed, it was, as were some of the remedies. I remember being taught by my seniors that the regulatory authority at the time operated, at least unofficially, on an “under and over’s system”. There was less apportioning of guilt, smaller fines and, if the employer rectified the underpayment and understood the error of their ways, the fine was often small or non-existent. Yes, I’m getting older and we now live in different times. Issues like underpayment of wages are seen more in black and white terms like good v evil! There is less tolerance for employer or payroll errors and you have State Governments and their regulators that are all too happy to prosecute, public shame and fine employers to fill up Treasury coffers. The criminalisation of wage theft in Australia has, in recent times, become an initiative increasingly pursued by state governments.

BRIAN BEECROFT CEO, FTMA Australia

Which all leads me back to “wage theft”. My experience at TTIA and other industry associations is that most employers in our industry overwhelmingly aim to pay their employees the correct rates of pay and entitlements. In the process, they deal with an extremely complex award and regulatory environment that is ever changing and it’s little wonder mistakes are sometimes made on the way. State governments are viewing the concept of wage theft as a threshold workplace issue, irrespective of whether it is seen by some as a populist way to gain votes or increase revenue. According to PwC the issue costs workers $1.35 billion each year. The new laws, which made Victoria the first state to criminalise wage theft when they were announced last year, will see businesses who withhold a range of entitlements face fines of up to $198,264 for individuals, $991,320 for companies and up to 10 years’ jail time. The criminalisation of wage theft in Victoria (and

later, Queensland) is a warning to employers who are proven to dishonestly withhold employee wages and entitlements. Businesses need to actively check on a regular basis that they are paying their employees correctly under the appropriate award. That also involves reviewing policies and procedures to ensure they comply with the National Employment Standards as well as general award provisions and State Acts. The days of an employer assuming

to the government authority as to whether to prosecute. The Victorian Act applies to a broad range of employee entitlements, including superannuation payments. As part of their crackdown on “wage theft”, the Victorian government revealed the establishment of the Wage Inspectorate of Victoria, which will act as a new statutory authority with powers to investigate and prosecute wage theft offences. They have issued statements saying employers who commit

in the recent budget reply, promised to introduce laws that would mirror the States and criminalise wage theft. From TTIA’s point of view, there is no doubt that criminalising of wage theft in Queensland and Victoria is a warning to business that payroll and record keeping issues are now front and centre of the sort of essential due diligence required to run a business. The recently announced Fair Work wage case increase of 2.5% for most employees

The criminalisation of wage theft in Australia has, in recent times, become an initiative increasingly pursued by state governments. they’ve got their payroll right until someone complains over an issue are over. The laws will also capture employers who falsify employee entitlement records, such as payroll records, and those who fail to keep employment records when they come into effect on 1 July. The Victorian government claimed, when the laws were announced, that the new record-keeping offences are aimed at employers who attempt to conceal wage theft by falsifying or failing to keep records. Therefore, it is crucial that employers brush up on their record keeping requirements under the Fair Work Act. The government claims the new laws are not aimed at employers who make honest mistakes miscalculating entitlements, although the discretion will be entirely up

wage theft deserve to face the “full force of the law”. While Queensland and Victoria have introduced laws to criminalise wage theft, the NSW Parliament is currently debating its own wage theft law. Not to be left out, the Federal Labor Opposition see the issue as a win-win for them in terms of votes and,

from the first full pay period on or after 1 July provides a line in the sand for employers to check whether employees are appropriately classified, and that their rates of pay and entitlements are consistent with current legal requirements. Now is the time to contact us!

Is your COVIDSafe Plan up to date? W E ’VE been advised

by a number of Victorian MGA TMA members that WorkSafe has visited their businesses and carried out an extensive audit. Their first point of interest was the businesses COVID safe plan. With diligent staff members responsible for this at each site, their plans were promptly supplied to the WorkSafe representative. It is suggested that your COVIDSafe Plan must

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demonstrate: - your actions to help prevent the introduction of COVID-19 to your workplace - the type of face mask or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce - how you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed

case of COVID-19 in your workplace - how you will meet all the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Some industries or workplaces are subject to additional industry obligations and have additional requirements of employers and employees. - Businesses must review and update their COVIDSafe Plans regularly, especially when restrictions or public health advice changes. Or-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER August 2021

ganisations with multiple worksites must complete a COVIDSafe Plan for each worksite. You must keep on top of your COVIDSafe plan and update documents as required. With the constant evolution of COVID-19, it is definitely not a case of set and forget. Stay up to date with restrictions and public health advice by visiting the Australian Government Department of Health website. In some states, there is

mandatory use of QR codes so familiarise yourself with the requirements of your specific state. Generally the QR code covers the check-in of workers, customers and visitors, with some limited exemptions. If you are unsure of what you need to do, contact your state health and safety regulator. MGA TMA members have access to an array of COVID-19 information on the MGA TMA website. 23

DELIVERING PRECISION Vekta‘s Interior and Exterior StakPros are designed to increase your production and improve safety.Why have many hands lifting trusses when one operator can do the job by using only a remote control! Vekta‘s Interior StakPro is designed to suit your truss jig system. With heavy duty caster wheels and a guided rail mount you can put the StakPro where you need it! The Exterior StakPro has adjustable feet allowing the machine to adapt to your site and manufacturing processes. With the PRESS of a button the StakPro will LIFT the finished truss out of the jig and STACK it on a trolley. Clever!

info@vekta.com.au I vekta.com.au