Timber suppliers in Bristol

[Trigger]

Does anyone know of decent timber supplier in the Bristol area. I'm looking for someone who can supply planed pine that is straight and dimensioned to a reasonable degree of accuracy.

I'm fed up with the rubbish B & Q sell so would appreciate any help.

 

[Knot Competent]

Robbins could well be the answer to your problem.

John

 

[Trigger]

Thanks John,

Just checked their ad in yellow pages and they are in Ashton Gate which is 40 minutes away. They also have a web site so I'll check that out.

Cheers
Trig.

 

[Knot Competent]

How can anything in Bristol be 40 minute away? It's only the size of a pocket handkerchief! :lol:

Seriously tho', I have a vague idea that they have two sites in the area. It may be that there is one closer to you than that. I think the second site is mentioned on their website. Worth a look..

John

 

[tim]

Try James Latham in Yate.

http://www.lathams.co.uk

But if you look in the back of Good woodworking you'll see several suppliers who are around you/ Bath etc

Cheers

Tim

 

[CHJ]

A couple of Bristol area suppliers in this list.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Trigger,

I would be ready for a heart attack when you get a quote from Robbins...
They deal mainly with the boatbuilding fraternity, so usually anything they sell seems to have a price to reflect the customer owning a flybridge cruiser in Monaco!
As an example, I wanted some cherry from them and was quoted something like £70 per cube! (that's sawn stock as well!)
I got it from Windebanks out near Bath for about £25-30 per cube the next day...

I would try Bristol City Timber Tel:0117 963 6683 in Ashton (over from the City Ground) They have a milling service IIRC.

cheers,
Andy

 

[johnelliott]

I'm looking for someone who can supply planed pine that is straight and dimensioned to a reasonable degree of accuracy.

You may be in for a bit of a search. Most timber yards simply won't know what you are talking about. They keep their stock out of the actual rain but that's about it for weather protection. If you need to have them machine it for you then that is what they will do, but by the time it's been indoors for a few days then you will be sorely disappointed.
My first suggestion is to avoid pine altogether unless you particularly need it, if you do, go to a specialist supplier, maybe somebody who is converting old pitch pine stock.
My second suggestion is to look deeply in your budget and see if maybe you could afford a planer thicknesser, then buy your timber rough sawn, keep it til its moisture content has stabilised, then machine it til you have what you need. It's the only way, really
John

 

[Anonymous]

most timber yards simply won't know what you are talking about. They keep their stock out of the actual rain but that's about it for weather protection.

Depends on the yard.
Dedicated timber suppliers tend to know the worth of their stock if its to be used for joinery and sold as unsorted as they will have too many returns if it isn't stable. The place I used to go to in Bristol before they were swallowed up by Travis Perkins had a dedicated racked shed for this purpose, with the timber kept well away from any weathering. I've usd their timber for years without any problems.
The builders merchant types may not be so diligent though, and this is evident when you actually ask for unsorted. The majority seem to think that as its stacked in piles of random lengths, it is indeed 'unsorted!' :shock:
That said, how many hardwood importers keep their stock in climate controlled conditions once it's off the ship?
The ones I've known around Bristol, (and there were quite a few when the docks were working) all had similar set ups, slatted storage barns for air flow, and a tin roof to keep the water off.

Andy

 

[Trigger]

Thanks All,

Bristol ain't that big John but have you ever tried travelling through it on a weekend ?????? The 40 minutes will just about see me the 7 or so miles from Kingswood to Ashton Gate. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

I'll check out Lathams and Bristol City Timber as well. Lathams is is about the same distance as Robbins and Bristol City Timber but the right side of town for me so I'll try them first.

The answer I think is as John Elliot suggests, a planer thicknesser. This piece of kit is very much on my wish list but financially out of reach just at the moment. I need to sell another 15 or so rabbit hutches then I'm there

Cheers,
Trig.

 

[PitBull]

Trigger,

I used to use Lathams in Yate during the year I was working in Chippenham - the wood was good quality, prices okay (certainly better than Robbins) and they are a very friendly bunch, but are very busy during the week so prefer that you call a few days ahead of time and tell them what you want - this means of course you cannot select the wood yourself.

However if they are not busy and you have the time to wait then the yard guys will let you go through the wood yourself.

Regards.

PitBull.

 

[Trigger]

Thanks Pitbull,

I can get to Lathams in about 20 minutes so I'm going to try them first.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Trig