hi all I have just been qouted £77.00 for 10ft lenghs of 6x6 oak posts (reclaimed timber)I think this a fair price , problem is the amount i need pushes the price way past the thousand pound mark.. the posts are going to be used on a summer house design- and will be seen.. I have been told there is a cheaper alternative hardwood timber that looks remarkably like oak , but i have no idea what it is called-or exists- does anybody know of a cheaper alternative...the timber has to be 6x6 any help would be appreciated. thankyou
er dont know what you are thinking of, but green oak or french oak will be much cheaper. but with a green timber you will get a lot more movemnet, shakes etc. 6x 6 by 10 foot is a heavy peice of oak.
As uncle says green oak either homegrown or more likely imported from France will work out a lot cheaper. You should be paying £16-20 cu ft so thats £40-50 for a 10ft 6x6 post, likely to be 65-70kg a piece. Can't think of anything that will be cheaper. Jason
I should have said is this a fair price.my mistake.. Jason I just viewed a picture of an oak frame building you done ,was this green oak? this is almost the same sort of project im about to attempt i have dug footings that will take a four course brickwork all round.. I was going to site my stucture on this using 6x6 posts and 6x3 for roof plate and sole plate..the idea is to tennon the sole plate to the posts.. but unsure the best way to secure roof plate i - i should at this point explain that the structure is octagonal... -i was going to sit 6x3 to top of all the posts , mortice and tennon them where they meet at the posts.. the problem is how would i fix the plate to the posts? regards
The "caravan" was green oak although it had been standing for a while and was not as wet as the 8x8 oak that I used for this deck Traditionally the plates are half lapped where they meet and a mortice cut to take the posts which are tennoned to suit. As you are only usung 3" thick timber for the plates pegging the joint will not give sufficient strength as the peg will be too close to the end of the tennon. I think a pair of pegs dovetailed down through the plate into the top of the post will work if you want to use pegs alone, if you are not worried then a coach screw(preferably stainless) or two through the plate into the end of the posts will not be seen. This should give you an idea of how its done. Jason
thanks for that jason, i totally understand that concept.. something else i would like to ask, i`m covering the structure with 1" thick boards, obviously i will not be covering the posts, i was going to sit the boards in between the posts , i was going to either rebate the posts - is this a good idea or waste of time- or fix timber on inside to take the boards. what problems do i face using fixings through the boards to the oak i.e. bleeding ect? also what boards would you advise to use ? ideally i would love to cover it in oak boards but assume the cost would be high,is there an alternative or do I suffer the cost for a much better in -keeping look? many thanks in advance Gary
Due to the octagonal shape, finishing the corners will not be easy so it may be best to fix 50x50 sawn and tanalised timber to the sides of the posts, set back say 25mm and fix the boarding into that with galv nails. Green oak weather boarding/feather edge fixed with galv rose head nails is the ideal way to do it but have a look at feather edge treated fencing, although usually only 4" wide it may work out cheaper provided your walls are not longer than 6ft. Jason
thanks jason, one last question.. due to the movement in the timber , will i have any major trouble with the joints? also what size pegs would you use on the joints, thanks
Hi It is called Idigbo and is just as durable as oak but sometimes can be quite soft , it depends on what you get . As far as price you should be looking at around £14 / £15 a cubic foot so alot cheaper . It is used alot in Joinery and is acually called / refered to as poor mans oak . Im supprised no one answered your question . I hope this helps . Good Luck Lone chippy
Proplem with Idigbo is that anything thicker than 75mm will be next to impossible to find as it is usually only available in 1,2 & 3" thicknesses which is what the joinery trade tend to need. Of the tropical hardwoods the main ones you are likely to find in 6x6 are opepe, ekki, greenheart, etc. If you stick to homegrown timber, green larch would be cheaper than oak but I tend to use that in thinner sizes as it moves a lot(possible contender for the featheredge), chestnut is another possibility but oak is the most readily available and if you go for the imported oak then thats even less. The mill I use no longer cuts standard size oak, its more cost effective to import it by the artic load and just use his mill for cutting non standard sizes. Back to the the question of pegs, I tend to drill a 20mm hole with an auger bit in my SDS+ drill and size the pegs to suit. Remember its best that the pegs are cleft (split) from a piece of drier oak. Movement wise there will be a little opening of the joints but on a 6x6 / 6x3 frame this will not be a problem.
with regards to oak featheredge, if there is movement i.e. splitting, would this mean i would have problems with rain penertrating inside ? could I line with ply then cover with featheredge.. i know this sounds extreme , but although the structure is octagonal the centre of the stucture i.e. the cube part will be a workshop area.. then one end will be an open area the other end will be glassed all round for a potting come greenhouse .. so only four sides will be covered in feather edge , three if i use cheap shiplap at the back which is against neighbours fence so will not be seen.. of course this is assuming i have problems with rain... cheers
The "Caravan" that I refered to earlier had 100x50 studwork infill to the oak frame, clad in 12mm ply, then tyvek then the feather edge. Studding was filled with kingspan then foilbacked plasterboard. The idea is to nail through the thick lower section of the FE so the nail comes just above the top of the lower board so the boards can expand and contract widthways. Jason PS I have uploaded a pic of the finished "caravan
thanks jason, the finished version of ` the caravan` is truly impresive.. i always like to view a finnished job like this before i attempt it myself, greenoak buildings are becoming very popular again , yet still find it hard to view any..im looking forward to building this, for me i have to do a lot of background work, and try and understand traditional methods to produce good work.. thanks for the info i appreciate it Gary
I have been told there is a cheaper alternative hardwood timber that looks remarkably like oak , but i have no idea what it is called-or exists- does anybody know of a cheaper alternative... I think you are referring to cheap man's oak! A.K.A. Idigbo Joiner Sim
I have been told there is a cheaper alternative hardwood timber that looks remarkably like oak , but i have no idea what it is called-or exists- does anybody know of a cheaper alternative... I think you are referring to cheap man's oak! A.K.A. Idigbo Joiner Sim A little late there, son.
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