Sydney's Local Timber Merchant

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There aren’t too many timber merchants still located within close proximity of a CBD in Australia. The business of Anagote Timber, established some 20 years ago continues to be a focal point for woodworkers in Marrickville, Sydney.

Stores of local and exotic timber reside mainly within a high roofed red brick building that was formerly an engineering shop. There are racks of neatly stacked and labelled wood here and also in a covered outer area that leads to a smaller building that serves as an office.

Anagote-inside1

‘(The business) started in my backyard’, says owner Rodney Henderson, once a TAFE economics teacher, referring to a time when he and his family lived in the country, west of Dorrigo. ‘We were trying to be hippies (at least my wife was), and one of our neighbours started making furniture and set up a sawmill. I got interested and started buying and selling timber.’

The explanation for how the logo and business name came about goes back to the early days of the business. ‘We had a goat called Anna’, said Rodney, ‘and the kids said let’s call the business after her.’

Rodney-Henderson

With over 40 species on offer the business has grown to be a favourite timber buying destination for professional and part-time woodworkers, cabinetmakers, joiners, boatbuilders, musical instrument makers and furniture restorers. In the early days Anagote sold mainly cedar, rosewood and rainforest woods. With a reduction in supply of native timbers however, imported timbers such as American rock maple and walnut are now popular, along with a range of exotics. In addition to supplying boards and pack lots, Anagote will cut and square dress to size.

When buying from a timber merchant, a useful tip for customers is to be aware of the conventions of sawn timber dimensions, underlined Rodney. ‘For example the difference between 50mm thick as a finished size and 45mm thick can often double the cost, because the standard is 50mm sawn which dresses to 45mm.

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‘If you want to finish at 50mm you’ve got to buy 75mm sawn, and 75mm is often at a dearer rate because it takes longer to dry’. Many people, even some professionals, aren’t aware of the conventions of sizing, Rodney pointed out, and that can add unnecessarily to the cost of a job. Users can also run into trouble, he said, when completing projects from foreign magazines with projects written in countries with different sawn sizes.

When planning projects and commissions, customers are invited to ring ahead and check availability of species and the widths and thicknesses they are available in. There are also pre-joined boards available which can be a cost effective solution. Consulting with your local merchant ahead of time can truly save time and money.

Anagote Timber is situated at 144 Renwick St, Marrickville, NSW
It’s open Monday to Friday, 8am – 4pm and Sat, 9am – 11:30am
See also anagote.com

 

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