Buying Waney/Live edge slabs in the south.

[joel4mo]

Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. Im a carpenter in the Herts area, mainly building fitted furniture. Work will slow onwards and over xmas which gives me time to play with my own projects.

I can't post links being new to the site but I am working towards something like Greg Klassens Coffee Table No 2. If you haven't seen his work, check him out, his river tables are beautiful. I often have shaped, tempered glass made for my business projects so have no issue there but I am struggling to find suitable live edge material of the project in the South of the country.

I have found quite a lot of 2" seasoned oak/maple that would suit but it is all up North. Before I do a day trip around all the businesses i have found, anyone shed any light on timber nearer to me in Herts/North London? I was going to collect these: ebay item: 192013700692 but he only has one left and i can't justify the trip for one.

TIA

 

[mbartlett99]

Bad news my man - Herts is a veritable desert of woodly goodness. Can only suggest Surrey Timbers for that sort of stuff - www.surreytimbers.co.uk

 

[jw00d]

I'd wholeheartedly agree with a trip to see Kevin at Surrey Timbers, an aladdins cave for slabs!

 

[hammer n nails]

Surrey and sussex hardwoods nr Horsham

 

[Fitzroy]

Bloody glad surreytimbers is no where near me, i'd have no money left! That gnarly edged wild mango piece is awesome (http://shop.surreytimbers.co.uk/epages/ ... oducts/SL4), i'd cut it in two and make two awesome coffee tables for my house.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Prob a bit far for you but yandles are very good, in somerset

 

[HOJ]

Still a bit far, but may be an option, I buy all my slabs from here, fortunately or not, its only 15 minutes drive from my shop:

http://www.suttontimber.co.uk/

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I would "Yes And" the vote for Yandles. The only reason I say that is that I visited their Spring show for the very first time this year after succumbing to the hype for donkeys years. To say their wood shed blew me away is an understatement! In fact if I could simply move my bed into the shed I would happily live there for the rest of eternity!

It is a veritable Aladdin's cave of the weird and wonderful....also the large. Want to make a waney edge table top from a single 4 foot wide Elm board? That's the place to go. Want to use consecutive boards with wild grain from the same Brown Oak tree...Yandles again. Entire yew tree's milled and stacked....all over the place. Don't even get me drooling about the Cedar and Southern yellow Pine. And for goodness sake don't mention the turning blanks shed with its rows of ebony and all manner of exotics as well as the classic British timbers.

It is quite simply the Mecca for the most mouth watering hefty chunks of staggeringly beautiful timber I've ever seen in one place. The choice is huge, the prices are reasonable (especially at show times when discounted) and the surrounding area is very conducive to a nice day out.

So I would consider making a day of it because I guarantee you wont regret it. Buy all your stock in one big trip and get to know the most delightful wood yard I've ever visited.

 

[Freddyjersey2016]

Have you tried English Hardwoods - near Kettering - http://www.english-hardwoods.com/matchedpairs.html

 

[dickm]

It's nigh on a decade since I left the area, but there used to be some suppliers in and around Bedford. Bedford saw services, Silsoe sawmill, and two whose names I can't remember, one just south of Goldigton Rd in Bedford and one in Aspley Guise out west of Bedford. Others still in the area may be able to give up-to-date position.

 

[SVB]

I've got some good stuff at interesting timbers in wells before (www.interestingtimbers.co.uk)

Simon

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A long way, but worth a thought -
http://www.cornwallhardwoodsupplies.co.uk/
Stunning native timbers.
He has a customer who brings a 7.5T truck down every few months from Suffolk (iirc - that way, anyway) and goes back full - so someone thinks the trip worthwhile.