Timber
All the timber I sell has been milled by me and comes from trees grown on local estates,
farm land and privately owned woodlands.
All the timber is air dried for a minimum of one year per inch of thickness with the
exception of Oak boards which are left for an extra year.
The boards are stacked on level surfaces with thin strips of wood (stickers)
between each layer to allow for the free flow of air throughout the stack.
The ends of the boards are sealed to stop moisture being drawn up,
timber takes on water through its end grain and releases it through its
long grain, so by sealing the end grain we can control the drying process.
Once the drying has reached a desired moisture content (MC) they are moved under cover into the wood
barn, due to the climate humidity here in the UK air dried timber doesn't get below a MC of 15%.
Unlike many timber yards both large and small I keep the stickers between the boards once inside,
this allows for the drying process to continue but also prevents timber from sweating which in turn
helps to keep the boards flat, according to my customers this is a key factor for their continued custom.
Over the coming months regular visitors will see a huge change in the layout of the wood barn,
this makes it easier to see the variety of timber available and better for access.
200yr old hedgerow Ash yielded beautiful olive grained boards
A rather nice and large Ash from a farm just on the outside of Retford, a market town less than 15 miles from our yard.
This tree had grown in a hedgerow near the farmhouse and some 30yrs ago the then farmer had attached a
steel plate and pole to the trunk to support a child's swing, unfortunately the plate had not been removed
so the tree has grown around it leaving part of the pole showing.
This meant the trunk couldn't be milled in one long section as too much timber would be lost cutting
around the metal.
I decided to cut the 12' long section in half, giving me a 7' section and a shorter section
with the metal in it at 5'.
Video below shows the crown before milling and then the beauty of what lays within
(sorry for the quality first time trying this)
Some of the boards cut are 4' wide and at just under 7' long will make great single piece dining table tops.
New stock arriving
2024 is shaping up to be the year of the Oak for me, I've been contacted by two more local
estates with recently felled Oaks they're interested in me having.
Below:
Most of the Oak I mill is bought from a local estate just 15 miles from my site.
The trees have grown in a mixed broadleaf and conifer woodland and have been
allowed to spread and twist at will, resulting in the grain of the milled timber being more
varied then that of timber from plantation grown trees.
Below:
Oak on it's way to my yard, where possible I prefer to collect trees for milling myself, it's a longer and
more time consuming process but in the long run less damage is caused to the timber which
results in a better quality end product
Trends may change but timber infestation doesn't;
Over the last decade with the fashion for 'river table' increasing, people have moved away from the traditional craftsman hand made furniture towards the DIY rustic live edge look. Although this look maybe 'on trend' it brings with it certain problems that at first may not be apparent to the inexperienced woodworker.
Many of the timbers grown in the UK are susceptible to beetle damage, it's for this reason that I cut and stock very few waney or 'live' edged boards but prefer to stock square edged boards with the bark and soft outer wood removed.
