# Please advise - What is SCANT timber ??



## Maverick81 (25 Jun 2013)

I am familiar with regular Pine timbers PAR which I have used to make furniture. SCANT is not the same stuff is it - type/species/quality wise is it?
You wouldn't use SCANT to make anything furniture wise would you so there must be a difference.
From the little I have seen/experienced of SCANT it seems very bowed/cupped/twisted or any combination of the 3....anything but anywhere near straight. Also the grain/fibre structure seems much knarlier and unpleasant. 

So can anyone please tell me What SCANT actually is - how it is produced ???


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## Modernist (25 Jun 2013)

Maverick81":131ecd0l said:


> I am familiar with regular Pine timbers PAR which I have used to make furniture. SCANT is not the same stuff is it - type/species/quality wise is it?
> You wouldn't use SCANT to make anything furniture wise would you so there must be a difference.
> From the little I have seen/experienced of SCANT it seems very bowed/cupped/twisted or any combination of the 3....anything but anywhere near straight. Also the grain/fibre structure seems much knarlier and unpleasant.
> 
> So can anyone please tell me What SCANT actually is - how it is produced ???



Scant just means undersize, usually on thickness. Generally applies to sawn boards as PAR should be what is says (but isn't always)


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## Racers (25 Jun 2013)

DAGS

http://www.timberlink.co.uk/sawn-timber ... t-and-cls/

Pete


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## nanscombe (25 Jun 2013)

A couple of definitions that I've found suggest it to be softwood of a 70mm x 43mm (3" x 2" ish) size.

What is scant timber



> a scant is a 2 inch by 3 inch piece of timber.
> Answer
> If this is in a real estate listing it means "some timber" or "a few trees".
> Quote http://www.thediyworld.co.uk/glossary_terms.html
> ...



Scant



> Timber with square edges.
> Used for stud walls & partitions.


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## Maverick81 (25 Jun 2013)

I bought several lengths of this SCANT stuff from B&Q to rebuild the front frame of my workshop. It was horrible stuff - bowed, cupped and twisted - but could just about make it work for framing purposes.
My next task is to build new cupboards and workbenches etc - Though now I have no intention of using this SCANT stuff (whatever it is) to build the unit/workbench carcasses from as its just too distorted as far as I could see, and I don't see how you could build accurate units from such horrid material.
I have been to local timber yards and priced up regular sawn/rough 2'x3' timbers - which seem much straighter and less twisted than this SCANT stuff I picked up at B&Q. 

Whatever SCANT is - I don't think I like it.


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## jasonB (25 Jun 2013)

Its an abreviation of Scantling which basically means a small timber. You can buy hardwood scantlings so its not about quality its that they are just narrow boards from say 2"-5" wide

The "Scant" you get from the likes of B&Q are just all they could get out of the upper parts of some fast grown whitewood which is wy its such poor timber


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## deema (25 Jun 2013)

Scant timber is as suggested, but it does not refer to the size that you buy. Scant is produced from trees or branches that are small in size. Normally you will receive product with both heart and growth wood. For this reason its normally reserved for inferior work such as pallets etc. 

You can get some very good scant timber, and I have used it extensively for making stuthing walls. However, I would not use it where is was visible, or where stability was a prime concern. It's cheap, for a reason, but it has it purpose.


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## Andy RV (25 Jun 2013)

Are scant and cls the same thing?


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## No skills (25 Jun 2013)

I've not seen scant with eased/rounded corners, all the cls I've used has had the eased corners.

Used some scant today for a stud wall, usual bent twisted stuff (hammer)


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