Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Do you have a Harlows near you?
https://harlowbros.co.uk/branch-finder/?sector=timber

I find it's worth spending some time sorting out timber at places like
Wickes. All places will sell you bananas if they can get away with it!

Why not take a hardpoint saw with you? What size timber are you trying
to buy?

On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

Bill

On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 00:44:05 +0100
Fredxx wrote:

I find it's worth spending some time sorting out timber at places
like Wickes.

This.

Why not take a hardpoint saw with you?

and this.

On 13 Aug 2019 23:39:25 +0100 (BST)
Theo wrote:

indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car).

Roof rack. Then when you get home you can take time with your cutting
list so you make best use of the straightest bits.

In article , Theo theom+news@chi
ark.greenend.org.uk scribeth thus
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

I was told in a deadpan way by one of them not so long ago now that
they;

Don't grow the tress like they used to"

Sez it all really.

FWIW we needed some OSB boards recently, Travis Perks were cheaper than
Ridgeons, now Huws Grey by another name, but if you use them a lot i
expect they are more competitive.

You can haggle a bit with them sometimes if you are buying a decent
amount of timber...

--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.

On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:48:13 +0100, Rob Morley
wrote:

On 13 Aug 2019 23:39:25 +0100 (BST)
Theo wrote:

indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car).

Roof rack. Then when you get home you can take time with your cutting
list so you make best use of the straightest bits.

My roof-bars are more often on the car than not because I often find
myself carrying stuff and what won't go inside goes on the roof.

Like, I went to pick up some shelving daughter bought locally on eBay
and the guy went to question how I would carry the room height
uprights then he looked closer and said 'ah, roof bars'. ;-)

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days? I can remember regularly seeing all sorts of stuff on roof
racks, from sofas to wardrobes to boats and sheet materials / fence
panels but the last time I saw a sofa on the roof of a car was ours?
;-)

A friend tried to get roof-bars for his Megan Coupe but it seems there
may not be such a beast. You could see how one might be able to clamp
onto the roof at the front but not at the back because of the
non-opening rear windows. Not unless you can slide the 'foot' in
between the rubber and the bodywork?

The recommended Thule (Aero) roof-bars for our Meriva are quite short,
meaning we can't carry some of the stuff we used to on the likes of
the Sierra Estate that had long bars that sat further out on the
gutters, rather than a specific mounting point. Whilst they were much
more flexible re what width stuff you could carry, I have tried to get
out of the car under the end and it does hurt (so 'get' why they might
not stick out so much these days). ;-(

Cheers, T i m

T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car had roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a trailer
instead.

On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

You can surely inspect them before buying though.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

I have found TP or Jewsons (or even better local timber specialists)
handy when I needed something heavier and bulkier than the sheds offer.
Timber specialists are pretty much essential for hardwoods. My local
farming supplier also does a good line in rough cut fencing timber.

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Depending on what you need and how much chasing around you are prepared
to do you can always go in and ask them. One of my motivations was that
they would machine cut a large 18mm marine plywood to the required size
for a very reasonable price and the resulting bits would then fit into
my car. Saved hiring a van and making very long manual cuts.

The sheds material was pretty poxy and weak by comparison. But it wasn't
as nice as the marine ply the window fitters I had in recently were
using - that had all the knots on the outer surface replaced by veneer.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 14/08/2019 10:20, Andy Burns wrote:
T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car hadÂ* roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a trailer
instead.

I loved my two Astra Estates with rails. I had four bars for them and so
could carry all sorts of mixtures and combinations.

On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.


Valid point sometimes, but Wickes is cheap and convenient, and the
multi-packs generally keep stuff reasonably straight.

On 14/08/19 11:06, newshound wrote:
On 14/08/2019 10:20, Andy Burns wrote:
T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car hadÂ* roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a trailer
instead.

I loved my two Astra Estates with rails. I had four bars for them and so
could carry all sorts of mixtures and combinations.

I've still got my "Paddy Hopkirk" roof bars originally bought in the
early 70s for use with a Viva HB! They are still used once every year or
two for long items, and have been easy to adjust to fit five different
models of car.

--

Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
On 14/08/19 11:06, newshound wrote:
On 14/08/2019 10:20, Andy Burns wrote:
T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car had roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a trailer
instead.

I loved my two Astra Estates with rails. I had four bars for them and so
could carry all sorts of mixtures and combinations.

I've still got my "Paddy Hopkirk" roof bars originally bought in the early
70s for use with a Viva HB! They are still used once every year or two for
long items, and have been easy to adjust to fit five different models of
car.

Doesnt work with mine that I got in the 70s for the Golf.

The Hyundai Getz doesnt have the same arrangement on the car for the rails
to mount on.

On 14/08/2019 00:57, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

Bill


Around my way even the dedicated timer yards seem to stock crap wood but
charge much more than the sheds for it

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

Ridgeons are good. It is supposed to be 50p a cut or something, but
frankly I am not sure they bother to charge unless its a lot of cutting.
Last time I just selected some batten and they cut it into lengths that
would fit the car.

And only charged me the total length


(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo



--
"I am inclined to tell the truth and dislike people who lie consistently.
This makes me unfit for the company of people of a Left persuasion, and
all women"

On 14/08/2019 00:57, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

I am sort of in the same camp as you.
Wickes is sadly a bit of a toy shop

you want a builders merchant


I prefer to use homebase for smaller stuff and ridgeons for bigger.


Bill


--
"I am inclined to tell the truth and dislike people who lie consistently.
This makes me unfit for the company of people of a Left persuasion, and
all women"

In my experience timber merchants usually offer the best quality timber over the builders merchants like Jewson & TP, who in turn are better than the usual sheds. If buying a large quantity of timber slipping the yard man a fiver, for the extra effort of selecting the timbers gets results. If you are having a delivery then you are in the lap of the gods, although I have witnessed a joiner reject a load of studding because quite a few lengths were banana shaped. I suspect if you manage to read through the small print in the terms and conditions you may find the supplier reserves the right to supply a certain percentage of out of spec. material which might cover the banana shapes.

Richard

I don't think any timber is how it used to be. A guy I got to build me a
fence had to come back due to a gate post that visibly twisted in three
months even though it was obviously treated for outdoor use.
Is it just that we do not actually allow timbe3r to season long enough
before cutting it into the shapes we want?
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Theo" wrote in message
...
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice
to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their
website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I
don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 06:48:16 UTC+1, Rob Morley wrote:
On 13 Aug 2019 23:39:25 +0100 (BST)
Theo wrote:

indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car).

Roof rack.

I doubt TFL will allow me to put a roof rack on their bus.
So if mail ordering ... what then.

Then when you get home you can take time with your cutting
list so you make best use of the straightest bits.

On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 11:39:29 PM UTC+1, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

Last time I went to Travis Perkins for some timber - just roofing battens, I said that I didn't have an account. She gave me a price. I said that is too expensive. She umm'd and ahh'd, then created a temporary account for me and gave me a much better price.
Now I know that is an option, I will try it at other places.

The timber was straight (I was not actually using it on the roof).

Simon.

On Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 11:08:32 AM UTC+1, newshound wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.


Valid point sometimes, but Wickes is cheap and convenient, and the
multi-packs generally keep stuff reasonably straight.

The multi-packs themselves are straight but sometimes when you open them a
banana or two springs out. Or within a few minutes in the sun they start to
bend. I tend to open the multi-packs, get the good ones and make sure I keep the
multi-pack bar code.

The only trouble is the remaining bananas are not bought by anyone so they take ages to re-stock the shelves.

Simon.

In article , T i m
scribeth thus
On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:48:13 +0100, Rob Morley
wrote:

On 13 Aug 2019 23:39:25 +0100 (BST)
Theo wrote:

indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car).

Roof rack. Then when you get home you can take time with your cutting
list so you make best use of the straightest bits.

My roof-bars are more often on the car than not because I often find
myself carrying stuff and what won't go inside goes on the roof.

Like, I went to pick up some shelving daughter bought locally on eBay
and the guy went to question how I would carry the room height
uprights then he looked closer and said 'ah, roof bars'. ;-)

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days? I can remember regularly seeing all sorts of stuff on roof
racks, from sofas to wardrobes to boats and sheet materials / fence
panels but the last time I saw a sofa on the roof of a car was ours?
;-)

A friend tried to get roof-bars for his Megan Coupe but it seems there
may not be such a beast. You could see how one might be able to clamp
onto the roof at the front but not at the back because of the
non-opening rear windows. Not unless you can slide the 'foot' in
between the rubber and the bodywork?

The recommended Thule (Aero) roof-bars for our Meriva are quite short,
meaning we can't carry some of the stuff we used to on the likes of
the Sierra Estate that had long bars that sat further out on the
gutters, rather than a specific mounting point. Whilst they were much
more flexible re what width stuff you could carry, I have tried to get
out of the car under the end and it does hurt (so 'get' why they might
not stick out so much these days). ;-(

Cheers, T i m

Got some on me Audi A6 estate they are on there all the time bloody good
ones the Thule they are done up with a large Allen key handled type
tool

Can get 20 foot scaffold poles on it tie a large Yellow hi viz vest or
something bright on it where it overhangs
--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.

In article ,
sm_jamieson scribeth thus
On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 11:39:29 PM UTC+1, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

Last time I went to Travis Perkins for some timber - just roofing battens, I
said that I didn't have an account. She gave me a price. I said that is too
expensive. She umm'd and ahh'd, then created a temporary account for me and gave
me a much better price.
Now I know that is an option, I will try it at other places.

The timber was straight (I was not actually using it on the roof).

Simon.

Yes, you can always try that "how ****ing much guv"


Then whistle thru the teeth "how the feck am i supposed to be making
any money on this job eh?, at those prices tell me that" ..

They usually come up with lower numbers then
--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.

On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 12:11:58 UTC+1, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 14/08/2019 00:57, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:

Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

I am sort of in the same camp as you.
Wickes is sadly a bit of a toy shop

you want a builders merchant


I prefer to use homebase for smaller stuff and ridgeons for bigger.


Bill

Wickes just requires the right buying method. Their stock is a mix of good & bananas, go when they've brought stuff out, sort through it & you're good.. Go when the shelves are near empty & all you'll see is bananas. If you can go more than once to buy it generally works fine. If in a rush, go elsewhere.


NT

On 14/08/2019 06:44, Rob Morley wrote:
On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 00:44:05 +0100
Fredxx wrote:

I find it's worth spending some time sorting out timber at places
like Wickes.

This.

Why not take a hardpoint saw with you?

and this.

I went to wickes last week to get 16 lengths of 8' 6"x2" - figuring I
could just about get them in the boot with the seats folded down.

Unfortunately the only stuff they had in stock were 3m and 3.6m lengths.
Just as well I thought to take my 18V circular saw as well, and setup
shop in the car park :-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 14/08/2019 11:08, newshound wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.


Valid point sometimes, but Wickes is cheap and convenient, and the
multi-packs generally keep stuff reasonably straight.

Also worth finding a very busy branch - less time for stuff to
deteriorate on the shelf. I find if I buy plaster at our local one, its
quite often still warm!


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 14/08/2019 12:35, Brian Gaff wrote:
I don't think any timber is how it used to be. A guy I got to build me a
fence had to come back due to a gate post that visibly twisted in three
months even though it was obviously treated for outdoor use.
Is it just that we do not actually allow timbe3r to season long enough
before cutting it into the shapes we want?

Mainly just very fast growing timber species are most often used...



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 20:38:23 +1000, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

I've still got my "Paddy Hopkirk" roof bars originally bought in the early
70s for use with a Viva HB! They are still used once every year or two for
long items, and have been easy to adjust to fit five different models of
car.

Doesn¢t work with mine

Just what in hell makes you think anyone cares what works or doesn't work
for a trolling piece of self-important senile **** like you, senile Rodent?

--
Website (from 2007) dedicated to the 85-year-old trolling senile
cretin from Oz:
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/threads/r...d-faq.2973853/

In article ,
Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Don't you actually check it before buying?

--
*PMS jokes aren't funny; period.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Don't you actually check it before buying?

I did, but I missed the curve on one axis. Which I only spotted after I'd
painted it up and butted it up against a straight piece of wood - the curve
was obvious.

This was the best of the bunch they had, which was even worse. And the
reviews on the Wickes site suggest they send out bananas on delivery orders,
when you don't get a choice. And sometimes it would be better to buy the
longer stuff for delivery, rather than set up a saw bench in the car park.

Theo

On Tue, 13 Aug 2019 23:39:25 +0100, Theo wrote:

Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be
nice to have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their
website, and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting
service (so I don't have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is
their wood any good? Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to
Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks Theo

Sadly, it depends a lot on the individual branch.

Ridgeons used to be good for timber, but not so much now locally.

I used TP a lot because I had a trade account and a twin wheeled trailer
with an 8' by 4' bed and a ladder rack so I could go and sort through the
racks of timber and pick half way decent lengths and then take them away
in the trailer.

If you rely on delivery then you take your chances.

Sadly, the trailer has been sold on.
Happily I don't need much timber these days.

I still miss that trailer {sniff}.

B&Q and Homebase used to be awful for timber.
**** as a very **** **** thing.

For good timber go out into the countryside to a real timber yard.
Costs a bit, though.

Cheers



Dave R

--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

On Tuesday, 13 August 2019 23:39:29 UTC+1, Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

This happens every time, and is getting rather tedious. It would be nice to
have somewhere that sells vaguely straight wood for a change.

I seem Travis Perkins have finally put non-account prices on their website,
and also indicating which branches have a timber cutting service (so I don't
have to try to fit 3.6m lengths in the car). But is their wood any good?
Does TP Group somehow send all their awful wood to Wickes?

We also have Ridgeons locally, who have also recently started admitting
prices on the web, but it's unclear what their policy on cutting is (and
they don't list the base lengths).

(hello Jewson, it would be nice if you could join the pricing party too)

Thanks
Theo

The problem I have is that none of the local timber companies open at all over weekends.

One is almost within sight, and decent prices, but getting there during opening hours can be difficult.

On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 18:46:57 UTC+1, Theo wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
Theo wrote:

Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Don't you actually check it before buying?

I did, but I missed the curve on one axis. Which I only spotted after I'd
painted it up and butted it up against a straight piece of wood - the curve
was obvious.

This was the best of the bunch they had, which was even worse. And the
reviews on the Wickes site suggest they send out bananas on delivery orders,
when you don't get a choice.

Reject it.

And sometimes it would be better to buy the
longer stuff for delivery, rather than set up a saw bench in the car park.

Theo

Taking it home is cheaper. Delivery makes sense if you're buying a lot.


NT

On 14/08/2019 15:11, wrote:
On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 12:11:58 UTC+1, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 14/08/2019 00:57, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:

Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

I am sort of in the same camp as you.
Wickes is sadly a bit of a toy shop

you want a builders merchant


I prefer to use homebase for smaller stuff and ridgeons for bigger.


Bill

Wickes just requires the right buying method. Their stock is a mix of good & bananas, go when they've brought stuff out, sort through it & you're good. Go when the shelves are near empty & all you'll see is bananas. If you can go more than once to buy it generally works fine. If in a rush, go elsewhere.


NT


What ever you buy, once you get it home and it dries out then it
distorts.

Wickes only sell C16 timber. You're bvetter off going to a proper
merchant and buying C24 which should have more consistent moisture
and fewer knots.

On 14/08/2019 11:06, newshound wrote:
On 14/08/2019 10:20, Andy Burns wrote:
T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car hadÂ* roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a
trailer instead.

I loved my two Astra Estates with rails. I had four bars for them and so
could carry all sorts of mixtures and combinations.

+1

But the bars from my Astra F don't fit my Astra H, sod it.

On 14/08/2019 15:41, John Rumm wrote:
On 14/08/2019 12:35, Brian Gaff wrote:
I don't think any timber is how it used to be. A guy I got to build me a
fence had to come back due to a gate post that visibly twisted in three
months even though it was obviously treated for outdoor use.
Â* Is it just that we do not actually allow timbe3r to season long enough
before cutting it into the shapes we want?

Mainly just very fast growing timber species are most often used...




Some of it from illegal logging in the Ukraine.

The best timber should be from Russia, nice and slow growing,
but they are restricting exports.

On 14/08/2019 10:20, Andy Burns wrote:
T i m wrote:

But are there as many people carrying stuff on roof bars / racks these
days?

My last car hadÂ* roof rails and I added thule bars, it was useful for
long timbers and with a home-made roof-rack useful for 8x4 sheets of
osb, plasterboard, present car has no rails so now looking for a trailer
instead.

I have both. Although the trailer is only 5'x3', I can can carry 8'x4'
sheets on it with a small overhang at the front and a larger one at the
back. I have had a 5.2m joist (for my conservatory) on the roof bars and
5m lengths of aluminium (1 tube, 2 bar for building a hi-fi stand). I
have also transported 12'3" lengths of galvanised, box-section, roof
sheet, supported by the two halves of an extension ladder on the roof bars.

My father once took an extension ladder to France (to work on their
holiday home) - the sections slung side by sides *under* the roof bars
.... to keep under the height limit and avoid having to pay extra.

SteveW

On 14/08/2019 21:50, Andrew wrote:
What ever you buy, once you get it home and it dries out then it
distorts.

The art of cutting timber that doesnt, exists, but cheap it aint.

Quarter sawn stock from tree boles - not branches that grew under
assymmetric stress - is possible.

In general though its about one length in 10 or less.

Timber - structural lumber, as opposed to that intended for joinery -
needs to be understood to be an approximate material.

That is why engineered wood is so popular.

Its just better.




--
"Women actually are capable of being far more than the feminists will
let them."

On Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 6:46:57 PM UTC+1, Theo wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
Theo wrote:
Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Don't you actually check it before buying?

I did, but I missed the curve on one axis. Which I only spotted after I'd
painted it up and butted it up against a straight piece of wood - the curve
was obvious.


I always look down the length where the foreshortening makes any curve obvious.
There is usually some other chap doing the same and you give a little nod.
Serious timber comes from local Avon Timber. It is straight.

Simon.

On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 21:50:56 UTC+1, Andrew wrote:
On 14/08/2019 15:11, tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 14 August 2019 12:11:58 UTC+1, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 14/08/2019 00:57, Bill Wright wrote:
On 13/08/2019 23:39, Theo wrote:

Went to Wickes to buy some wood, came home with a banana.

Find a proper woodyard. Not a DIY shop.

I am sort of in the same camp as you.
Wickes is sadly a bit of a toy shop

you want a builders merchant


I prefer to use homebase for smaller stuff and ridgeons for bigger.


Bill

Wickes just requires the right buying method. Their stock is a mix of good & bananas, go when they've brought stuff out, sort through it & you're good. Go when the shelves are near empty & all you'll see is bananas. If you can go more than once to buy it generally works fine. If in a rush, go elsewhere.


NT


What ever you buy, once you get it home and it dries out then it
distorts.

Wickes only sell C16 timber. You're bvetter off going to a proper
merchant and buying C24 which should have more consistent moisture
and fewer knots.

My exprience with drying wickes stuff indoors before use, which I normally do for 1 or 2 months, is that most of it's fine, but it is wise to buy a bit more as the odd one isn't. It still works out cheaper in total than other suppliers.


NT