Oak Beams

European Green Oak Beams

Green Oak, otherwise known as Fresh Sawn Oak, has been the back bone of building and construction for hundreds of years. Still widely used structurally in renovations, barn conversions, and for feature trusses, recently we have seen an increased trend in Oak Framed extensions, Car ports, porches and gazebos to.

Stock Sizes

Our Oak beams are cut with a ‘fine’ sawn finish and stocked in standard sizes 105mm, 155mm, 205mm, 255mm, 305mm square. Lengths are 2.5m increasing in 0.5m increments to 8.0m long but please note that not all sections will be available in all lengths.

Standard stock lengths are 2.5 - 8 metres.

Standard stock sizes range from 155 - 305mm

Cut To Size

Alternatively to our Standard stock squares we can offer a ‘Cut to Size’ service through our machining facility. Using our stock sizes we can produce pieces to match a provided cutting list within 7-10 working days.

Because this is done on a large band saw, we can’t trim any less than 25mm off the edge of a beam and please be aware that by producing any sections 50mm or less in widths 100mm or wider can have an increased risk of cupping or general shape issues. If required these pieces would only be cut on a nonreturnable basis.

Colour

When Oak is fresh cut it is a clean light straw colour but like any timber it will start to grey as it weathers. There is no set time frame to this as there are many variable factors but you can start to see some discolouration within 3 or 4 months depending on the time of year.

This would also apply to cut to size beams where we may take a grey, weathered piece and use it to produce a smaller section which could expose one or more fresh faces.

As a general rule we don’t select beams for colour but if you ask us for any special requirements we will always try our best to accommodate

A characteristic of Fresh Sawn Oak is as it dries it will start to shrink slightly, this is part of the natural process. Dimensions can reduce by approximately 2% but as oak dries very slowly it doesn’t detract from its structural integrity. You will also notice that the surface of the timber will start to check, creating its traditional distinctive feature.

Please note that all sizes we quote are based on when they were first cut

Shape

Our beams are sawn in a state of the art facility and great care is taken to produce a quality product. Due to the nature of being a fresh cut, constructional grade material some pieces can have a small amount of twist or a bow in the length. Smaller and longer sections are more prone to this and the longer the length more substantial the bow can be.

When we cut long pieces to size (5.0m +) there is a high risk that the pieces will spring and create a couple of inches of bow down the length. Please make sure that you, your joiner and or builder are aware of this to assess whether it would be fit for purpose as these pieces would be supplied on a none returnable basis.

Grade

Our Oak Beams are supplied to Appearance Class QP1, Strength class D24. The beams all have 4 sharp corners and as part of the grading can contain,

• Minimal wane 10% face and edge, to max 35% of length
• Sound knots up to half the width of the face
• Dead/open knots up to 50mm diameter
• Sound sapwood on the edges less than half the width of the face

Where a %age or fraction is shown this is for the sizes that we buy. These can increase when beams are cut down

Weight

Oak beams are very heavy and require proper planning to be able to take delivery safely.

For example 1 beam at 3.0m long x 205mm x 205mm weighs approximately 140kg and a 6.0m x 305mm x 305mm 615kg!

If you require your beams to be delivered please ensure the following

• There is good clear access to the site or property
• Plenty of labour for Manual off load (small beams only)
• Ideally forklift offloading