Timber choices and suppliers Lewes Sussex, advice please

[DMF]

Hi all,

been helping a mate redo the garden for them and we have reached the pergola / shade sail support thing stage and could do with some help please.

We have got a number of galvanised box section steel lintels and we are going to build the frame out of these, three questions for you, first is for cladding two sides of these lintels (approx 90mmx70mm) to make I beams to build with. Was thinking western red cedar for this, say 140mmx35mm, using the tek type screws to fix, the lady of the house would like a finish on it so will have a good soak of something and will be off the ground and able to dry, would that be a stable / long lasting choice? Long lasting has been determined as 10-15 years by the way!

Question two is some of these steels are not long enough so we need to connect them together and the horizontals into the uprights, also to make some caps, We need a timber that we can make some inserts, shove half in each end of steel to be joined, cut a plate out of scrape to go over the join on the outside of steel and screw together, cladding over the top. Whilst I can make groves for rain and what not so the timber won't hold water anywhere it will still be timber in a metal tube outside, is this daft?! After many really useful posts by Richard I fear it maybe is but would using iroko say answer concerns there?

Finally if that all does sound like a plan where can I get 20 metres of western red PSE hopefully although I will spend days with a scrub and a No5 if I have too and 2m of iroko to those sizes anywhere round here?! Would be great if I could go get it, whilst the above may sound pricey this is the budget apart from £30 of turfs.

Of course I welcome better ideas / different timbers any thoughts welcome

Thanks,

Dean

 

[RobinBHM]

If you want some iroko or wrc in machined sections, Id be happy to supply although I may be too far away (East Grinstead).

 

[Woodcrafts]

There are two big yards I use in west Sussex - W. L. West & Sons, and English Woodlands Timber. Both stock a good range of timbers so may have what you're looking for. They have machining facilities so might be able to prepare it to your sizes.

 

[hammer n nails]

Try the willows sawmill near uckfield all sorts of timbers there

 

[oakfield]

Wenban Smith in Lewes or Worthing can get what you need, but aren't cheap.
EC Forest products in Whitesmith (now owned by Venables) stock a lot of oak at a good price and can get what you need.

 

[DMF]

Thank you all, much appreciated - Robin that could well be the perfect shovel for the job! Will PM sizes / lengths we need and if you could do it then no not to far away, it would be a perfect excuse to pop in and see my Nan for a cuppa while I'm that way. I can borrow a focus estate and it will go in there so all good, after a few phone calls I would MUCH rather have the help of a forum member, will message soon, thanks.

Woodcrafts thanks, W. L. West & Sons look good but haven't got what we need at the moment could get it in in a couple of weeks time but I struggled with them on the phone, maybe a bad day and I know I'm asking for a kicking the first time you go somewhere and only want a bit but they did confuse "western red cedar" with "solid gold bars", and English Woodlands Timber said we don't do Iroko and put the phone down!

Hammer n nails thanks will save them for the future, didn't find them on my google search so added to the list, cheers

Oakfield again thank you, Wenban Smiths finished me off a few years ago, down to Shoreham docs for the normal timber needs for me, wouldn't like to ask them for a price I fear you maybe right! EC Forest products look like the perfect oak suppliers, mates wife doesn't want oak unfortunately and I don't think it will work for the inserts either, and again on the phone to me they said no they don't do anything else!

Out of my comfort zone with suppliers here, general building stuff, packs of concrete blocks etc etc I'm all good with but new world for me this and I want to do what I can for them so any help with that is important to me and I do appreciate the responses above.

Thanks,

Dean

(Robin have pm'd now thanks)