Timber source

[JFC]

Does anyone know where i can get any of the following timber from stock please .
Alerce
Mansonia
Cedar
Padauk
Teak
Douglas fir
Larch
Sequoia
Yew
Opepe
Merbau
Muninga
Cypress
Its for a couple of balconys i've got to do and the architect has specified any of these timbers . Thanks in advance .
Jason .
P.s. South coast or london area would be nice .

 

[jasonB]

What price have you got in for the job, Larch is going to be a fraction of the cost of teak. I'm having some larch milled at the moment but I doubt that you want it green.

Try James Latham in either Clapton or Portsmouth, they will have Douglas Fir, western red cedar and several of the others

http://www.lathamtimber.co.uk/



Jasonb

 

[Scott]

the architect has specified any of these timbers

That's a fairly wide-ranging spec! :?

 

[Jake]

the architect has specified any of these timbers

That's a fairly wide-ranging spec! :?

I think the one common factor is they are quite durable (and upwards)

 

[JFC]

Thanks for the link Jason ill give them a call in the morning as i need the timber quite soon . The price isn't a problem as i have won the tender for the job and this spec has happened after i submitted my quote so i can adjust the price accordingly + 15%
I think the guy has flicked through a wood book to find the best timber to use without knowing if they are readily available or not :roll:
Dont you just love em ](*,)

 

[Scrit]

Nice to see there's some consideration for sustainability and toxicity.....

Scrit

 

[JFC]

Ive not heard of some of the timbers but im guessing some of them are no longer available due to them being on the endangered list .
Any details on the ones that are scrit ? I do love to put a smart arse back in his place :lol:

 

[Scrit]

Any details on the ones that are scrit ? I do love to put a smart **** back in his place :lol:

Not getting personal are we....... 8)

Like you I've never heard of some of these, for example WTH is Alerce?

Some of these are going to be all but impossible to source, such as Padauk and Opepe. Isn't Mansonia on the CITES list somewhere (that's your endangered source, JFC). Afrormosia (African teak), some yews and Spanish Cedar certainly are.

Others such as Sequoia (Giant American Redwood) will be second growth and fencing/shed sizes only (I've found an importer in Brum who carries it, but it costs £40/cube or more against iroko ar sub £30)

Some, like Cedar will be available, but are really soft - I use Cedar of Lebanon for drawer bottoms. I believe it's mainly parklands timber in the UK, but it's relatively available and cheapish

And some like Teak will cost a mint. Incidentally, if he's put in teak why didn't he include Iroko - dark, hard, very stable, extremely durable, relatively available (if nothing else through Timbmet who now own Parry's in Liverpool - major importers of iroko). Also less than a third if the price of teak.

And for that matter why didn't he specify FSC certification if he's at all aware of the world we live in (which he probably isn't :roll: )

Scrit

PS I'd avoid yew - it can cause alergic reactions in some people. Not me - I'm just sensitised to mahogany!

 

[Jake]

Like you I've never heard of some of these, for example WTH is Alerce?

My enormous brain, I mean google, tells me this:

The majestic tree that gives this town its name is one of Chile's
principal national symbols. Streets, schools, suburban housing
developments, hotels, gas stations, taxi fleets and even a record
company and a brand of cellphone - all invoke and honor the towering and
sturdy "sequoia of South America," as the alerce is sometimes called.

But here in Alerce, as in many other parts of southern Chile, there are
scarcely any alerce trees to be found these days. Predatory cutting and
burning in defiance of laws meant to protect the species have reduced
its range and numbers by half and created a lucrative black market in
which alerce timber can fetch as much as $5,000 per cubic yard, if
successfully spirited abroad.

"The corruption is tremendous, involving very important people," said
Adriana Hoffman, a former Environmental Protection Agency director.
"There is always plenty of talk about saving the alerce, but nothing
gets done and as a result, we are losing part of our patrimony. What is
going on is truly scandalous."

Despite its resemblance to the North American redwood, the alerce
(pronounced ah-LER-say) is actually a relative of the cypress, with a
tough, water-resistant reddish-brown wood that makes it much
sought-after for use in building construction and furniture making.

Slow-growing, largely because it favors soils poor in nutrients that
other trees shun, it nonetheless grows to a height of 165 feet or more
and a width of 15 feet, and some trees in protected areas are more than
3,600 years old.

Since 1975, the export of alerce timber from Chile for commercial
purposes has been banned under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. To further protect the species, Chile in 1976 also
approved laws that declared the alerce a "national monument" and
prohibited the cutting down of any live trees.

He really has looked up some ancient textbook on timber and selected anything from moderately durable upwards. Is this going to be exposed, or painted? Seems odd, because if exposed, then there are all sorts of different appearances going on here, which isn't like an architect, but if it is going to be painted, then what the hell is teak doing in there?

 

[Scrit]

.....but if it is going to be painted, then what the hell is teak doing in there?

His name isn't Rimmer by any chance, is it? :wink:

Scrit