Where to buy WRC planks....

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nickds1

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I'm after a few lengths of 12.5 x 150 x 500 mm (min finished in each dimension) WRC to repair some beehives. I really don't want to joint two 75mm bits etc as beehives are weathered heavily (being outdoors 24/7/365) and joints always give and leak eventually.

I have a PT and good table & bandsaw, so can resaw/resize if needed.

But where to buy without having to sell our firstborn into slavery?
 
nickds1 said:
But where to buy without having to sell our firstborn into slavery?
Click to expand...

Western Red Cedar is one of the most expensive commercial timbers available at the moment, unfortunately.

Since your sizes are fairly short, some companies may even have those sizes in offcuts from projects they have worked on that would otherwise be burned, typically anything under a metre in length for cladding purposes for example is of little use. I would approach anyone who works with a lot of it such as high-end general builders, garden room constructors, boatbuilders, some joinery workshops etc... It should be significantly cheaper than buying it in from a merchant.
 
A good (long grain)joint should last as nearly as long as no joint(doesn't make it much cheaper just easier to find)
 
I ordered from Southgate for a Canadian WRC fence. It was supposed to be No.2 and clear and was anything but, full of loose knots and other big defects. Graded it myself, sent them a list, and they took it back.

I got the replacements from SilvaWood (now sadly defunct) and it was more expensive but properly graded, almost entirely clear in fact, lovely stuff. On the hunt for a supplier now as that fence is being extended. Vasterns seem like an option.
 
look on FB marketplace for local sawmills. I got some pretty cheap and it dries pretty quick and stays flat.
 
UK grown is a lot cheaper, but very different from slow grown Canadian.
 
That's thoughtful of you. At least one and hopefully 5 or more... For safety , 600mm is probably a better length. I'm in Kent, BTW. I rang probably 8 yards today with no joy.

These are to repair "deep roofs" - a standard British National roof is about 4" deep but if you have a feeder on the top of the hive, you need a deeper 6" roof to cover where the crown board join is so as to stop water ingress into the hive.

These roofs are extremely expensive new, so it's definite repair time. All my hives are WRC and with a bit of TLC, some are still in use after 30 years. The up-front pain of the extra initial cost over deal or pine is soon forgotten - WRC is lighter to work with, doesn't twist/warp and as it has natural oils, doesn't rot or need painting and lasts much much longer. It's rare that I need to replace a whole side panel, but for at least one roof, patching is no longer an option...
 
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Takes me back in time!!

These were for a local beekeeper..

IMG-20240509-WA0013.jpg
 
WRC.jpg

This is an offcut, 220mm x 19mm, if its of use happy to post, at cost, got a 5m long board of the same section in the rack as well, but that would be for for sale.
 
That would be amazing. I'll drop you an email..,

It turns out you've set your contact details to private - perhaps send me one instead so I can reply?

Thanks
 
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