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kafkaian

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Georgian sash windows: In terms of wood type, what were they made from?

Any ideas?

I've been told oak, but I still would have though pine. What forests covered the British Isles during this period?
 
Mostly deciduous hardwoods, I think also you will find the same rule applied in Georgian times as today. It depended on what the customer would pay.
An old school that I'm familiar with the frames were Oak, but a Georgian coaching inn that me and wife owned the windows were Pine.
The problem of course was either of them original?
In the days of solid 9 and 13 1/2 inch brickwork door and window frames were normally set on the inside course of brickwork, and thus more sheltered from the weather, whereas today the outer leaf is the normal site and frames are unlikely to last as long as was the norm.

Roy.
 
The oak was disappearing fast for shipbuilding, and by the c18th fir and pine from the baltic was replacing it for domestic joinery.Early windows had the box exposed flush with brickwork but ever more stringent fire regs led to set back and then covered boxes with very little wood left exposed on the exterior by the 1774 act. Fashion for ever thinner and finer glazing beads means some brass and copper was used - painted in the ubiquitous white lead.
plenty of scope there to do what you fancy and still be 'right' I read somewhere that the oak was considered immortal and was often left unpainted
happy fenstering Matt
 
Kafkaian

The majority that I have ever worked on or taken out in this area have been pine, most have had hardwood cills, some oak but it is a long time since I last worked on one so I couldnt say what other hardwoods were used for cills. Good luck with your search.

Dennis
 
Ditto that.All the ones i've worked on have been pine but i suspect of a far better quality than some of the tat you get now.
 
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