Getting wood from a sawmill

[davic]

Yo! I was wondering if its worth getting wood from a local sawmill for garden furniture? They supply softwood 'green' and not planed and thought it might be a better idea than a timber merchant.

What are the pros and cons of this? I understand that I would be planing the wood myself...

 

[Steve Maskery]

Pros: Lower price
Cons: Indeterminate moisture content
S

 

[Harbo]

May need to wait several years for it to dry out?

Rod

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's garden furniture, don't fart about, just buy treated timber. It's not worth it. Make sure you treat cut ends and drilled holes.

 

[Dfireplaces]

Depends on the style of furniture you are trying to achieve,

kiln dried oak: consistent style, expensive
green oak: Rustic effect, cheaper but can be a might unpredictable

 

[davic]

I think it might be worth a punt then possibly

 

[mqbernardo]

what´s the thickness of the wood?
i was told it takes more or less an year of drying for each inch of thickness - give or take. this may be a gross generalization and i´m sure different species will loose/gain moisture at slightly different rates, but it gives you an estimate.

what wood will you be buying? treated pine around here is so cheap it´s not worth the hassle to do it yourself, IMHO.

all the best,
Miguel.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Up here in Scotland we can get Larch from sawmills quite easily. Its ideal for rustic garden furniture as it is inherently resistant to rot. I have a picnic table outside that is 20+ years old and as far as I can remember has only ever had two coats of preservative.

Regards ick

 

[John15]

Go for kiln dried oak - it looks really nice.

 

[davic]

I think the wood is just local grown softwood, I am pretty sure its not larch. I'd be nice to get some of that. The sort of sizes would be just plank size. I use pallets at the moment but I would be thinking 200x50mm (I hope that my mental arithmetic has not let me down...)