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#1
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Where to buy timber?
What's the general opinion on what sort of supplier to use for timber? I'm
not after anything fancy: I plan to line my garage with battening, insulate between the battens and cover with sheeting, but should I be looking at "proper" timber yards, builders' suppliers like Jewson and Travis Perkins, the big DIY stores, or what? In the past I've had good and bad wood from a multitude of sources: at least in Wickes, say, I could select the wood myself and reject anything that's twisted. Is there a particular type or grade of timber I should use? I'm in SE Kent (nearest town, Hythe). Can anyone recommend a good source for my area? Or even wider afield if the quality could be guaranteed. Many thanks. Bert |
#2
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Where to buy timber?
Bert Coules wrote:
What's the general opinion on what sort of supplier to use for timber? I'm not after anything fancy: I plan to line my garage with battening, insulate between the battens and cover with sheeting, but should I be looking at "proper" timber yards, builders' suppliers like Jewson and Travis Perkins, the big DIY stores, or what? In the past I've had good and bad wood from a multitude of sources: at least in Wickes, say, I could select the wood myself and reject anything that's twisted. Is there a particular type or grade of timber I should use? I'm in SE Kent (nearest town, Hythe). Can anyone recommend a good source for my area? Or even wider afield if the quality could be guaranteed. Many thanks. Bert I would go to a builders merchant that carries significant stocks of timber. Some specialise in other areas and only have minimal timber. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount or 'best price' I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. This way they will all be the same size and have rounded corners and a nearly smoothed finish which better to handle. Consider pressure treated timber if it is likely to get damp. You might get away with shuttering ply which is about the ceapest. If you ue 22mm then this will be strong enough for modest shelving an cupboards without necessarily having to pick up on your studs every time. Splash cheap white emulsion on all over and this will improve the effectiveness of your lighting. Bob |
#3
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Where to buy timber?
Bob Minchin wrote:
I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. Bob, that's very useful (as is the rest of the advice). Many thanks. Bert |
#4
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 6:12*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
Bob Minchin wrote: I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. Bob, that's very useful (as is the rest of the advice). *Many thanks. Bert shuttering ply has a very rough finish, and will need PBing NT |
#5
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 7:23*pm, Tabby wrote:
On Jun 14, 6:12*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote: Bob Minchin wrote: I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. Bob, that's very useful (as is the rest of the advice). *Many thanks. Bert shuttering ply has a very rough finish, and will need PBing NT For battens you can buy substandard junk from a junk yard or reclaim yard. Finish doesnt matter, nor does mild to moderate damage, or variation in width if you're not using hard insulation boards. NT |
#6
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Where to buy timber?
Tabby wrote:
shuttering ply has a very rough finish, and will need PBing Sorry, "PBing"? Surely not plasterboarding? Thanks for the reply. Bert |
#7
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 7:28*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
Tabby wrote: shuttering ply has a very rough finish, and will need PBing Sorry, "PBing"? *Surely not plasterboarding? * Thanks for the reply. Bert For habitable use it would need PB for finish and fire safety - for a garage of course it can be omitted. NT |
#8
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Where to buy timber?
On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:28:20 +0100, Bert Coules wrote:
Tabby wrote: shuttering ply has a very rough finish, and will need PBing Sorry, "PBing"? Surely not plasterboarding? peanutbuttering. :-) |
#9
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Where to buy timber?
Tabby wrote:
For battens you can buy substandard junk from a junk yard or reclaim yard. I'm all for economy, and thanks for the suggestion, but I would prefer to work with decent quality wood and I will need to keep fairly careful track of the exact positions of the battens, so anything too wayward would be awkward. Also, junk and reclamation yards aren't too thick on the ground where I am, so the costs of delivery might well outweigh any savings. I'll see what's around, though. Bert |
#10
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 5:30 pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
at least in Wickes, say, I could select the wood myself and reject anything that's twisted. IME finding straight and defect free lengths in Wickes or any shed is a waste of time - all of it is ****e usually strapped together in packs that appear straightish, until you cut the straps and boing! it all goes banana shaped and reveals all the dead knots, sticky resinous knots, splits, shakes etc etc = utter crap.. get ye down to the woodyard/timber merchant/sawmill and pick your lengths there - your chances of getting stuff that you want will be infinitely increased. Jim K |
#11
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 10:42 pm, John Rumm wrote:
On 14/06/2011 18:12, Bert Coules wrote: Bob Minchin wrote: I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. aka "CLS" these days. thought CLS was planed? Jim K |
#12
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Where to buy timber?
Many thanks for the latest replies.
Jim, I too thought that CLS was planned on all surfaces. The regularised sawn carcassing which Jim recommended seems to be smooth(ish) on two faces (the narrower, I think) and rough(ish) on the other two. John, I've not come across tile battens (tile as in roof tiles, presumably?). I'll investigate. Jules, I was wracking my brain for an alternative PB but didn't come up with peanut butter. Nice one. Hey, Jim, John and Jules. Any Jerrys and Julias out there who'd like to pitch in? Bert |
#13
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Where to buy timber?
I wrote:
The regularised sawn carcassing which Jim recommended... That should have been "which Bob recommended". Apologies. Bert |
#14
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Where to buy timber?
In article ,
Bert Coules wrote: I'm in SE Kent (nearest town, Hythe). Can anyone recommend a good source for my area? Or even wider afield if the quality could be guaranteed. http://www.channelwoodcraft.co.uk/ http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&so...dom &t=h&z=16 http://tinyurl.com/channelwoodcraft They have been brilliant in the past, and very helpful. Ignore the prices on the website (and the range). I found prices, delivery charges and stock much better at the yard than on the website. Ideally, pop in and visit them. Disclaimer: I've not used them for 2 years now - not aware of changes but YMMV Let us know if they are still good! Darren |
#15
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Where to buy timber?
D.M.Chapman wrote:
http://www.channelwoodcraft.co.uk/ They have been brilliant in the past, and very helpful. Darren, thanks for that. I just went to their site and it seems that things have changed: they're now part of a chain called TimberClick ("The new way to buy timber") and it looks as though they're concentrating on online ordering: the Folkestone address doesn't appear at all on the TimberClick site. I'll drop round there as soon as I can and see what's happening. Bert |
#16
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Where to buy timber?
I just rang the old Channel Woodcraft number and got diverted to
TimberClick. Apparently the Folkestone yard is now nothing to do with them, and is just a small one-man operation with limited stock (George Bauer, on 01303 850 231). "TimberClick are virtual only, sir" I was told. From the Timber Click website: "The buying of timber products is traditionally somewhat cumbersome and awkward - TimberClick removes the hassle of having to trapse [sic] round timber yards". Well, nuts to that. Bert |
#17
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Where to buy timber?
Bert Coules wrote:
I just rang the old Channel Woodcraft number and got diverted to TimberClick. Apparently the Folkestone yard is now nothing to do with them, and is just a small one-man operation with limited stock (George Bauer, on 01303 850 231). "TimberClick are virtual only, sir" I was told. From the Timber Click website: "The buying of timber products is traditionally somewhat cumbersome and awkward - TimberClick removes the hassle of having to trapse [sic] round timber yards". Well, nuts to that. How do you pick the straight piece with the nicest grain online? -- Tciao for Now! John. |
#18
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Where to buy timber?
On 14/06/2011 21:52, Bert Coules wrote:
Tabby wrote: For battens you can buy substandard junk from a junk yard or reclaim yard. I'm all for economy, and thanks for the suggestion, but I would prefer to work with decent quality wood and I will need to keep fairly careful track of the exact positions of the battens, so anything too wayward would be awkward. Also, junk and reclamation yards aren't too thick on the ground where I am, so the costs of delivery might well outweigh any savings. I'll see what's around, though. Bert Actually there's one in Hastings by the entrance to Morrissons car park. It was closed when I was there but looked quite interesting |
#19
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Where to buy timber?
On 14/06/2011 23:04, Jim K wrote:
On Jun 14, 10:42 pm, John wrote: On 14/06/2011 18:12, Bert Coules wrote: Bob Minchin wrote: I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. aka "CLS" these days. thought CLS was planed? Jim K CLS is a bitch to plane, and AFAIK not commercially viable. The sawn finish they get is pretty close though |
#20
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Where to buy timber?
Stuart Noble wrote:
Actually there's one in Hastings by the entrance to Morrissons car park. It was closed when I was there but looked quite interesting. I've had a search around on Google street view but haven't found it yet. I'll keep looking. Thanks. Bert |
#21
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 11:32*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
Many thanks for the latest replies. Jim, I too thought that CLS was planned on all surfaces. *The regularised sawn carcassing which Jim recommended seems to be smooth(ish) on two faces (the narrower, I think) and rough(ish) on the other two. John, I've not come across tile battens (tile as in roof tiles, presumably?). *I'll investigate. Jules, I was wracking my brain for an alternative PB but didn't come up with peanut butter. *Nice one. Hey, Jim, John and Jules. *Any Jerrys and Julias out there who'd You don't want Jerry to pitch in, believe me! MBQ |
#22
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 10:39*pm, Jim K wrote:
On Jun 14, 5:30 pm, "Bert Coules" wrote: at least in Wickes, say, I could select the wood myself and reject anything that's twisted. IME finding straight and defect free lengths in Wickes or any shed is a waste of time - all of it is ****e usually strapped together in packs that appear straightish, until you cut the straps and boing! it all goes banana shaped and reveals all the dead knots, sticky resinous knots, splits, shakes etc etc = utter crap.. get ye down to the woodyard/timber merchant/sawmill and pick your lengths there - your chances of getting stuff that you want will be infinitely increased. Jim K You've seen "packed in a protective atmosphere" on food stuffs? I think the sheds have something in the air that keeps single lengths of timber straight. You choose all the good ones, and they are still propellor shaped by the time you get to the car. MBQ |
#23
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Where to buy timber?
"Man at B&Q" wrote in message ... 8 You've seen "packed in a protective atmosphere" on food stuffs? I think the sheds have something in the air that keeps single lengths of timber straight. You choose all the good ones, and they are still propellor shaped by the time you get to the car. You should have gone to optical express. |
#24
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Where to buy timber?
On 15/06/2011 11:07, Bert Coules wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote: Actually there's one in Hastings by the entrance to Morrissons car park. It was closed when I was there but looked quite interesting. I've had a search around on Google street view but haven't found it yet. I'll keep looking. Thanks. Bert Here it is. http://www.recyclingwood.org.uk/contacts.php |
#25
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 15, 12:00*pm, "dennis@home"
wrote: "Man at B&Q" wrote in ... 8 You've seen "packed in a protective atmosphere" on food stuffs? I think the sheds have something in the air that keeps single lengths of timber straight. You choose all the good ones, and they are still propellor shaped by the time you get to the car. You should have gone to optical express. You should have gone to specsavers, then maybe you would be abel to read the adverts. MBQ |
#26
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Where to buy timber?
Stuart Noble wrote:
Here it is. http://www.recyclingwood.org.uk/contacts.php Ah, thanks. I did see that place but couldn't get an angle that gave any details. Their website rather gives the impression that they make furniture from reclaimed wood rather than supplying the raw material, but perhaps they do both. In any case, I'll investigate further. Bert |
#27
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Where to buy timber?
They do do both. I've just found this on their site:
"The wood is either prepared for re-sale or made into saleable furniture." Thanks again. Bert |
#28
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Where to buy timber?
"Man at B&Q" wrote in message ... On Jun 15, 12:00 pm, "dennis@home" wrote: "Man at B&Q" wrote in ... 8 You've seen "packed in a protective atmosphere" on food stuffs? I think the sheds have something in the air that keeps single lengths of timber straight. You choose all the good ones, and they are still propellor shaped by the time you get to the car. You should have gone to optical express. You should have gone to specsavers, then maybe you would be abel to read the adverts. What's an advert? Is it one of those things they make sky+ for? |
#29
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Where to buy timber?
John Rumm wrote:
Yup - its the strips nailed across the rafters that the tiles are then hung on and fixed to. Typically sold in bundles of 10 or 20 strips 3m long. Rough sawn and tanalised. Depending on the width and height they might be ideal. Thanks. Bert |
#30
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 14, 5:30*pm, "Bert Coules" wrote:
What's the general opinion on what sort of supplier to use for timber? *I'm not after anything fancy: I plan to line my garage with battening, insulate between the battens and cover with sheeting, but should I be looking at "proper" timber yards, builders' suppliers like Jewson and Travis Perkins, the big DIY stores, or what? *In the past I've had good and bad wood from a multitude of sources: at least in Wickes, say, I could select the wood myself and reject anything that's twisted. *Is there a particular type or grade of timber I should use? I'm in SE Kent (nearest town, Hythe). *Can anyone recommend a good source for my area? *Or even wider afield if the quality could be guaranteed. Many thanks. Bert With it being a garage, there's always the possibility to spend the money on a nice saw if you don't have one, and rip green trunks down. NT |
#31
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Where to buy timber?
On Jun 15, 10:26 am, stuart noble wrote:
On 14/06/2011 23:04, Jim K wrote: On Jun 14, 10:42 pm, John wrote: On 14/06/2011 18:12, Bert Coules wrote: Bob Minchin wrote: I suggest regularised sawn carcassing for your battens. aka "CLS" these days. thought CLS was planed? Jim K CLS is a bitch to plane, and AFAIK not commercially viable. The sawn finish they get is pretty close though "CLS is produced from kiln dried spruce (whitewood), planed and finished with eased edges to precise tolerances and in accordance with British Standards to either C16 or C24 grade. The CLS materials we stock are imported from a range of countries. The product originated for the Canadian market, which gave it its name - "Canadian Lumber Standard". It is now mainly produced and imported from both Canada and Europe." Jim K |
#32
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Where to buy timber?
I was in B&Q today and checked out their CLS: well planed and very easy to
handle, with its radiused edges. And in fact the lengths I looked at were amazingly straight, unwarped and undamaged. An exception to the usual DIY shed rule, seemingly, though I don't know how the price would compare with a timber yard's. Bert |
#33
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Where to buy timber?
In article ,
Bert Coules wrote: I just rang the old Channel Woodcraft number and got diverted to TimberClick. Apparently the Folkestone yard is now nothing to do with them, and is just a small one-man operation with limited stock (George Bauer, on 01303 850 231). "TimberClick are virtual only, sir" I was told. Hmmm.... if true that's a bit sad :-( "Their" website certainly never resembled their real stock, and appeared to be nothing to do with the woodyard from what I could see. Dunno about a one man band - there certainly used to be several people there shuffling wood about, and a couple more in the shed with the machines. Sad if it's really gone - I'll see if I can pop around that way sometime. From the Timber Click website: "The buying of timber products is traditionally somewhat cumbersome and awkward - TimberClick removes the hassle of having to trapse [sic] round timber yards". Well, nuts to that. Indeed. Another decent old timber yard gone (I'm hoping not, but it doesn't sound good...) Darren |
#34
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Where to buy timber?
In article , Bert
Coules writes I was in B&Q today and checked out their CLS: well planed and very easy to handle, with its radiused edges. And in fact the lengths I looked at were amazingly straight, unwarped and undamaged. An exception to the usual DIY shed rule, seemingly, though I don't know how the price would compare with a timber yard's. Not your size I know but for comparison purposes a good trade price for 95x47mm CLS a couple of years ago was £1.20 per metre + vat. That was off the back of a 200quid order, shopping around, getting quotes by fax and generally not sounding like a punter. -- fred FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ******** |
#35
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Where to buy timber?
fred wrote:
Not your size I know but for comparison purposes a good trade price for 95x47mm CLS a couple of years ago was £1.20 per metre + vat. That was off the back of a 200quid order... That's interesting. The nearest size that B&Q stock (at least at my local store) is 89x38mm: not a million miles away. Their price is £1.54 per metre including VAT. Assuming that prices have risen over the last few years I think that compares reasonably well. Bert |
#36
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Where to buy timber?
D.M.Chapman wrote:
Hmmm.... if true that's a bit sad :-( It sounded true. The TimberClick guy seemed to know the Folkestone yard (he talked about "when we were based there" whch actually sounds as if the old firm mutated into TimberClick rather than being taken over by them) and though he gave me the new owner's name and number readily enough, he was at pains to emphasise that the stock was now very limited. Of course that might have been nothing more than sales talk. Apparently, the Folkestone yard is trading as Channel Timber Yard Ltd: they have an ad in the local paper this week. "For all your timber needs" it says. Of course that might just be sales talk, too. It's not that far from me, I'll try to call round. Bert |
#37
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Where to buy timber?
On Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:29:30 +0100, fred wrote:
In article , Bert Coules writes I was in B&Q today and checked out their CLS: well planed and very easy to handle, with its radiused edges. And in fact the lengths I looked at were amazingly straight, unwarped and undamaged. An exception to the usual DIY shed rule, seemingly, though I don't know how the price would compare with a timber yard's. Not your size I know but for comparison purposes a good trade price for 95x47mm CLS a couple of years ago was £1.20 per metre + vat. That was off the back of a 200quid order, shopping around, getting quotes by fax and generally not sounding like a punter. Purely for comparison purposes, from the sheds it's around 25 cents per foot this side of the Pond, so I think that's 82 cents per metre, or around 51p (plus sales tax of 6.875%). Bulk purchases from lumber yards or direct from mills would probably work out significantly cheaper. cheers Jules |
#38
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Where to buy timber?
In article , Bert
Coules writes fred wrote: Not your size I know but for comparison purposes a good trade price for 95x47mm CLS a couple of years ago was £1.20 per metre + vat. That was off the back of a 200quid order... That's interesting. The nearest size that B&Q stock (at least at my local store) is 89x38mm: not a million miles away. Their price is £1.54 per metre including VAT. Assuming that prices have risen over the last few years I think that compares reasonably well. That's a pleasant surprise, 1.20 + 20% is 1.45 so sounds fair. Sizes are similar but volume of 89x38 is 25% less than 95x47 so should be at least 20% cheaper (timber being priced basically per cubic metre then marked up for cuts and rarity value). I do use B&Q for certain stuff but am v careful what, based on price (avoiding silly price anomalies), condition (previously found tile battens wet & mildewed on the outdoor rack) and banana factor (hmmn, why is that pack structurally bound). Certain sheet materials are good value but very time dependent. If your spend including sheets is over a hundred then it's worth getting some quotes, I used non nationals through preference and they came through on price too. -- fred FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ******** |
#39
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Where to buy timber?
In article , Jules Richardson
writes On Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:29:30 +0100, fred wrote: In article , Bert Coules writes I was in B&Q today and checked out their CLS: well planed and very easy to handle, with its radiused edges. And in fact the lengths I looked at were amazingly straight, unwarped and undamaged. An exception to the usual DIY shed rule, seemingly, though I don't know how the price would compare with a timber yard's. Not your size I know but for comparison purposes a good trade price for 95x47mm CLS a couple of years ago was £1.20 per metre + vat. That was off the back of a 200quid order, shopping around, getting quotes by fax and generally not sounding like a punter. Purely for comparison purposes, from the sheds it's around 25 cents per foot this side of the Pond, so I think that's 82 cents per metre, or around 51p (plus sales tax of 6.875%). Bulk purchases from lumber yards or direct from mills would probably work out significantly cheaper. That is cheap, plenty of raw materials handy I suppose and you guys do seem to get things generally cheaper than us. My stuff was graded C16 and treated but even so, that's quite a difference. -- fred FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ******** |
#40
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Where to buy timber?
I also have to factor in the cost of delivery (from whichever source) though
on the plus side I do get a discount from B&Q, one day in the week at least. Bert |
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