Where do you buy woods from?

Another suggestion I got was blackbutthttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...36b0809741.jpg

yeah the blackbutt I got from the woodshow (was from South West of WA) was very hard so may pay to choose a less hardwood to work with. That bar table I built for that reason thought it would be too hard to work with.
Blackbutt from the east coast may have different properties

Did it look similar to the gear I've got?

the blackbutt had a fairly red/yellow colour to it. This is the slab that was cut for the bar table before I did any sanding

Yeah looks similar, blonde to red to greys. I hope its this over poo pine.

well if it's blackbutt you will know if it's fairly hard to cut. Pine will be much easier to cut.
This slab is about 50mm thick but took a bit of work to cut it with a circular saw

OK I've got a jigsaw so it should be like trying to push a plastic knife through concrete.

have a crack at cutting it, might as well do that before you glue the pieces together. I'd wear a good mask in case its treated pine, wear your paint mask that you use for 2 pack

Just spoke to a fella, they either use rosewood or blackbutt as they are super hard. They don't treat the wood as its a risk down in the shaft with gas and fire or something. Couldn't say exactly what it is because its a bit old and ratty but looks really similar to the gear they use as roof supports. Also told me where they get it from so I'll ring them tomorrow.

ok well hopefully it's blackbutt, If it is it will be harsh on router bits !
give it a knock test with your knuckle and see if it gives a higher pitch sound. If its a deep thud then it won't be a good tonewood