CWatters":11dm6tsg said:
EddieJ - I'm thinking of cladding my building in waney edge oak..
Do you find oak cladding shrinks much in length?
How long are the planks you are using? They appear to be very long. Is there much of a premium for that length?
To be honest, I stay completely clear of oak cladding. The reason being that it would just cost me too much time and hassle to keep going back on jobs where boards have shrunk, twisted and generally just look plain nasty. Its not a material that I personally would recommend, but if you are still set on using it, then I would advise ply lining the outside of the frame first. The boards will shrink slightly in length, but obviously nowhere near as much as they are going to in width. I guess that if you intend to use waney edge, then none of the above may be of paramount concern, as ultimately you are after a natural looking appearance.
I wouldn't rule out using larch for the cladding, and this would be my material of choice when using waney edge. I'll try and get some photos for you this week of some new and weathered larch clad buildings. It's a bit orange to begin with, but it soon mellows down.
In respect of the wood that is currently in my workshop, the project is a single storey extension on a listed property.
Sole plates are 225mm x 100mm x 6300mm and 5500mm
Eaves beams are 175mm x 150mm same lengths as above
Tie beams are 175mm x 175mm
Posts are 175mm x 175mm and 175mm x 150mm
Studs are as above.
Principle rafters are 150mm x 150mm x 4300mm (that's going to be fun!)
common rafters are a stupid size of 115mm x 100mm
The project hasn't been going too well though, because as usual the architect keeps changing things including dimensions, and I've now marked the wood up four times!! I'm just hoping that's its all going to fit now!
As for paying premiums for long lengths, I'm fortunate enough that my workshops are based at a sawmill, so I'm kind of at an advantage when it comes to buying wood, but generally speaking at all sawmills around here, you may pay a two pound a cube more than normal for timber that is over 6000mm.
Let me know if you need any other help, as I'm always willing to help out if I can.