Frequently asked questions about Oak timber

Oak that has been felled between 3 and 12 months ago, and kept in its original state without any preservatives or treatments. As fresh sawn, the edges remain unplaned and the moisture content will be high, usually North of 60%. Working and jointing fresh sawn Oak is considerably easier than air dried and as the fresh sawn joints dry, the Oak locks together forming a tight bond.


 

Air dried or seasoned Oak is Oak that has been left to dry naturally in a ventilated space and is usually referred to as ‘air dried’ once it has been left for at least twelve months. The rule of thumb for the drying of Oak is one inch (25mm) per year, so Oak dries slowly!

There are multiple uses for fresh sawn oak which include: New build housing, garages, orangeries, stand alone annex buildings, porches, pergolas to name but a few.

    


See our  Gallery for more inspiration.

We mostly sell at QP1 grade which is a French / European Standard.

We can also supply Fresh Sawn Oak beams to British Standard BS 5756 THA & THB if requested and provide the necessary strength grading certification. Please note there is an additional charge to provide this.

Generally Quercus Robur and occasionally Quercus Petraea, European Oak is predominantly sourced from France, Italy and parts of Central Europe.

A shake or a fissure, also known as a crack is the longitudinal separation of fibres appearing on a face, edge or end of a piece of timber. While naturally occurring, there are grading rules which determine the acceptable lengths of these cracks and are applied to the grading of our fresh sawn Oak to ensure its structural ability.

There is no need to worry as this is a natural and endearing feature of fresh sawn oak. As the oak dries, it shrinks. Such shrinkage creates splits, cracks and surface checking but it’s natural and doesn’t affect the durability or structural stability of good quality oak.

You can use either Fresh Sawn or Air dried Oak beams depending upon the look you desire.

With both our stock and custom cut beam orders, we ensure a minimum of 25mm extra on the end of the specified size, allowing you to cut and shape the Oak as you see fit.

FSC®and PEFC are both forest certification schemes. While there are subtle differences between them, they both promote sustainable forestry management and have chain of custody schemes that ensure that felled timber is carefully monitored from the forest to the end user.
 

To learn more about these schemes visit:

Forest Stewardship Council®  

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

Kiln dried Oak boards rather than fresh green oak boards are used internally as they are more stable having had the moisture level reduced by mechanical drying. The moisture levels vary but we suggest using 8-12% kiln dried boards internally.


 

Sawn boards are left it their natural state once they have been cut by the mill saw. Planed boards have been smoothed and levelled and square using a Planer.

Sapwood is the outer light-coloured ring on the edge of a piece of timber or board which is essentially the living part of the tree. The sapwood is where water and dissolved minerals are transported between the roots and the crown of the tree and, to a lesser extent, where energy reserves are stored. The sapwood is less durable than the heartwood so while we keep the sapwood on our waney edge boards, we remove all of it from our kiln dried boards.


 

There are many different ways to grade Oak boards and it isn’t surprising that buyers are often confused by the varying standards and quality available.

Our oak board grading system can be found here:        Square edge Oak boards       Wayne edge Oak boards

We are always happy to discuss this with you before you buy from us.

As a wholesale business, we sell in packs to keep costs down. Our packs are typically 25% cheaper than buying individual boards. 

Yes you are welcome to inspect the pack before purchasing.  Simply contact us to arrange an appointment via enquiries@hhforestry.co.uk  or contact us on 01730 719 595.  Alternatively, we are more than happy to send you a video showing you the pack’s content. 

Don’t forget we also provide a full specification of every board within a pack so you can see exactly what you are buying.

We take the average of the Oak width (including sapwood) along the length of the board.

We recommend keeping your Oak protected from the rain, mechanically bound until you need to use it but most importantly covered from Direct sunlight. Fresh Sawn Oak has a high moisture content and direct sunlight will make it move and twist which will make it harder to work with.

We recommend Complete Decking Oil from BirdBrand , which is product we have used successfully over many years.

We recommend the use of Oxalic Acid to remove tannin stains and stains occurring while using metal tools in production. Oxalic Acid can be purchased from one of the multiple suppliers online. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidance and ensure you wear appropriate protection.

Take a look at some of our results using Oxalic Acid

Yes, shot blasting is one of the most commonly used methods to remove water stains and black marking from contact with ferrous surfaces; It is best done as a final finish once the project is complete.
We recommend using a glass shotblast media such as silica oxide.

When fixing into Oak, it is best to use fixings with as little iron content as possible to stop staining, such as stainless steel or Non-ferrous metals.