murphs14":2upo5236 said:
There are several lengths at 12'6" long from 6"x3" to 6"x6" and many uprights at 4"x4" so a bit of a mixed bag. The timber yard I was about to order from decided in their wisdom that they didn't want to supply it as it will be wet when cut and will split badly as it dries. Don't know what to do now. As I said I cant afford oak. Any alternate suggestions would be gratefully received.
I'm not sure that 'splitting badly' is the best description? As a relatively tiddly UK timber producer, I am bemused by a lot of people's genuine terror at the thought of using fresh sawn timber.
Do sacrifices at the altar of the almighty kiln appease the timber gods of precision and stability? Who knows.....
Douglas must be very popular at the moment, it's getting rather expensive to buy in for milling (so much so that I'm selling it at the same price as Sweet Chestnut for construction). It is a lovely timber in so many ways for structural work. Lovely stability, available in enormous lengths, not blessed with massive sticky resin pockets, very sensible lifespan and so on.
In answer to Blackrodd's early comment- I'd expect UK grown Doug Fir to be between 1/2 and 2/3rds of the cost of fresh Oak. I know that people use the word 'fir' to generally describe everything from Scots Pine to Leylandii, but Doug Fir supplied as sawn timber should only be Douglas. Longevity in a frame is generally down to detailing and build, I've seen some that I don't think will make 20 years, and others that will probably go on for 200 years plus.
Weirdly enough, botanically speaking Douglas is not a member of the Fir genus- true Firs tend to be very decent in terms of timber, but not very good externally. You might come across Silver Fir or Grand Fir as a joinery whitewood, in many ways similar to Hemlock. Anyway, enough digression.
My suggestion would be-
+ to contact a small sawmill directly outside of whatever quadrant of London you are from,
+ and I would also suggest that you 'up' your timber sizes to make it a relatively solid piece of timber framing.
+ avoid bolting up any sections of timber that will see the weather, you're making a perfect little clammy spot for decay.
I have seen issues in the past when people make a light and delicate frame that actually creates issues further down the line. When you look at the time and effort involved in the actual construction (and the other layers and materials involved), it's often easier to bulk up on a relatively cheap basic raw material that form the backbone of the construction. Maybe try a 5x5 post.
All comments welcome. W
