Finding wood

[gatesmr2]

Ok up till now i,ve been working on soft wood for a couple of reasons

one: cheaper and easier to work
two: local timber yard where the staff where very very helpful to a complete idiot who was just starting out :roll: no sly comments just helpful nothing to much trouble for them

Now after looking at the maps on this site and also looking myself, does anyone else live near peterborough area as there seems to be bugger all proper timber suppliers round here.
Nearest i can find is in Ely about 45 mins from me

Also as an after thought, whats the best hardwood to start with........
Was thinking about oak :?

Thanks for your help and advice

Marty

 

[special bone]

I've been told tulip wood is a good one to start with (I'm learning myself at the moment and it seems ok). I paid £90 for 2 14ft lengths of 9x1 but I was trying my luck and doing them a favour in return .

I'm sure someone will be along soon with other suggestions and a closer timber yard than mine (Spa and Warwick).

Rich

 

[oddsocks]

marty,

If you fancy a trip out at the weekend go to Ickworth House (National Trust in Horringer just south of Bury St Edmunds). This Saturday and Sunday is the annual woodfair where the local estate trees have been planked and are sold. All the usual English varieties (oak, beech cherry, yew etc) are there plus some exotics.

Not really the place if you want dry timber (unless you find a piece not sold from last year) , but for experimentation, patience or garden furniture it's ideal. Most timber is waney edged and about 3-4m long (they chainsaw free - just have an idea of what you will use the wood for!). Thickness goes from 1/2" to 4"+. As an indication to cost, I bought 4" thick spalted beech 3m long x about 12" for £40 on my last visit.

I take the wood home, take the waney edge off, plank into 120-150mm wide and then stack in my garage. When I need it I cut to rough size and condition indoors for 4-6 weeks, checking with a moisture meter. I plane to about 3-4mm overthickness after 3 weeks.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w- ... andgarden/

I had email confirmation from Ickworth yesterday that the event is on (the online events calender had a fault) and the weather is predicted as good (mind you she said touch wood!)

 

[tim]

I paid £90 for 2 14ft lengths of 9x1 but I was trying my luck and doing them a favour in return

Not half are you doing them a favour. Thats over £50 a cube!! Look at prices here for a published comparison:

http://www.britishhardwoods.co.uk/rough/other_timbers.html

IIRC the last price I paid for Tulip was around £16 per cubic foot.

Cheers

Tim

 

[johnjin]

Hi Marty
Try Lincolnshire Woodcraft at The Old Sawmill Burghley Park, London Road, Stamford.
I believe they do quite a bit of different Hardwoods but haven't been myself.
Somewhere I keep meaning to go for a look around but not got around to.
Their phone number should be in the book somewhere
No I've got it 01780 757825

http://www.lincolnshirewoodcraft.co.uk/

All the best

John

 

[dirtydeeds]

poplar (tulipwood) is the easiest timber i know to work

its straight grained, few knots (altough they are usually dead)

moves very little on the saw, planes easily with a block, hand or electic planer and sands easily

doesnt split out when rebating with a router, most other woods i have to rebate with a climbing cut

if your bench saw is sharp it needs almost no work to finish it

it also takes paint very well

 

[gatesmr2]

Thanks for your replys

Bury and Stamford not to far from me ............ well Bury not that close but ok for a woodshow ........think i might offer to take her indoors out for a drive over the weekend :wink:

Will let you know about Lincolnshire woodcraft johnjin many thanks for the info on them

Thanks again

Marty

 

[NickWelford]

A good option is Mike Cawthorne http://www.mikecawthornetimber.co.uk/
at Lower Benefield. He has a regular wood sale every couple of months which is well worth going to. This weekend he (or more probably his wife) is selling some at the Carving exhibition at Elton Village Hall. Pop along and see.

Much much bigger range than Lincolnshire Hardwoods at Burghley Park.

Oldsoke (Graham) is generally there demonstrating on sale days - there some pics on the above site.

 

[Chris Knight]

Tulip wood is as has been said, easy to work and a very versatile wood - I made a bedroom suite (minus the bed) from it at one time. However it gives me little pleasure to work, compared with say oak or ash.

Ash is not too expensive and cuts cleanly and crisply for the most part. It is also more resistant to dings than tulipwood.

 

[tim]

I'm with Chris on this. Frankly the only reason tulipwood is used in kitchens etc is that its easy to work and takes paint very well and is cheap. Its rarely used as anything other than a secondary wood if unpainted eg drawer sides.

If you want to use hardwoods then its worth getting the upside eg grain, figure and texture. As Chris says ash is inexpensive and can be very attractive indeed.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Rob_H]

I know what you mean about a lack of local suppliers - I'm in Ramsey - I've been to Lincolnshire woodcraft a couple of times but they only seemed to have smaller quantities for turning - no planks etc. Fenland Timber at Whittlesey can order oak in for you - otherwise they're a softwood supplier,
I used to live in Somerset and I was very spoiled with Yandles being nearby.

 

[Lark]

sorry to sort climb in to the convo as also new

what about beech i picked some up now and then cheap all i have atm found it cheap

 

[NickWelford]

Marty, what do you intend to do with it? Would green wood be any use?

 

[gatesmr2]

Thanks again for your response

not sure what i,m gonna make with it nick to be honest
just would like to try making something from hardwood as have played with pine
i,m just finishing a chest of draws and like to think ahead as to what i,m going to do next as it seems to take ages to decide plan ect ect

also apart from shrinking whats the difference between normal and green
sorry still learning here i just assumed green was for buildings ect and dried ....weathered......whatever it,s called .....lol was for furniture making :?

any ideas on a good first project in hardwood would be welcome
i,ve made a couple of bookcases, large t.v cabinet, bathroom sink cabinet and just finishing chest of draws ........
may sound strange not to have much of an idea but i just enjoy making things out of wood......properly if poss no screws old fashioned joints ect

ok thats my essay for today lol

marty

 

[BradNaylor]

As has already been said tulipwood is very easy to work but is not an attractive wood to look at - it really needs to be painted. It is also as soft as pine, although it is a hardwood.

Of the 'proper' hardwoods I would favour beech as one to start with. It has a close grain, which means it will machine well, and it will work very precisely.

Oak and ash have a coarse grain which tends to split away when being machined. You will also get deadly splinters in your fingers!

Beech is also pretty cheap.