Workshop construction - Sweet Chestnut?

[Boris D Bus]

I'm at the very early stages planning a workshop to go in the garden. The greatest hurdle has been overcome (the wife has agreed that I can build over the veggie patch! ) so now its just money, checking with the council, design and construction so I guess I'm nearly ready to move in.....

Anyway, getting to the point, I have access to some oak and a lot of chestnut, it's all still standing so if used would be green. The oak is more limited whereas the Chestnut coppice is of various ages, I coppiced about half an acre 27 years ago for fencing materials, the remaining acre looks to be about 40 years old with about 20 mature trees (over 2 feet wide). For ease of access and availability the chestnut wins out but I know it splits more than oak and U.K chestnut is rarely used for construction.

Nothing has been decided at the moment, other than I didn't want to have to replace a rotten hulk in 5 years time and that money is seriously limited for this project. I'd like the workshop to be about 20ft x 12ft, possibly a pent, I've been felling trees for over 30 years and milling (Alaskan chainsaw mill) for the last 5 years (for my own consumption).

I'm pretty sure everyone will say use Oak, if its worked for the last 1000 years it must be right So I suppose I'm asking is why shouldn't I use Sweet Chestnut?

Many thanks

 

[RobinBHM]

Sweet chestnut is becoming quite popular for cladding. it has a high tannin content so very durable but needs stainless fixings.

I dont know about structural sections

http://www.vastern.co.uk/cladding/joint ... -cladding/

 

[AndyT]

I went on holiday to the Picos mountains in Northern Spain a few years ago. They have loads of beautiful farm buildings built of sweet chestnut that have lasted several hundred years so far.

 

[Berncarpenter]

This chap may be able to give you some sound advice

http://www.the-roundwood-timber-framing-co.ltd.uk

Cheers Bern

 

[Shrubby]

I was told by the dendrochronlogist on a museum job that Romans would use chestnut as oak .We used it for smaller sections in the buildings. Cladding doors shutters and furniture. I think more to do with thechesnut being milled into boards and most of the oak being delivered in the round and hand hewn into big sections

Matt

 

[Berncarpenter]

Here is a bit of info from Wentwood Timber http://www.wentwoodtimbercentre.co.uk

Sweet Chestnut is one of the most remarkable woods grown in Britain. The grain is similar in appearance to oak, perhaps a little less striking, but it is a much more stable timber. It splits easily, but as sweet chestnut dries it will tend to remain straight and develop very few cracks. It is just as durable as oak, has much less sapwood and is much easier to sustainably harvest as it grows quickly. It is not favoured by sawmills as logs can often have splits known as ring shake which renders some of the timber useless, but the fact is once any ring shake is cut out, it is for many purposes far superior to oak. Sweet chestnut is a little weaker and softer than oak, so although cheaper for structural beams it may work out just as expensive once you increase the size of the beams to account for the lower strength. Much sweet chestnut is used for furniture making, cladding, decking, floorboards and increasingly window making (where it is superior to anything else grown outside the tropics) and boatbuilding. Do not confuse Sweet Chestnut with Horse Chestnut which is not related, and is a very poor wood with few uses.

Cheers Bern

 

[Boris D Bus]

Thanks for the responses. As the sweet chestnut will be "free" apart from my time with the chainsaw this is looking promising. I had a quick look at the coppice again today and going for thicker beams wont be a problem There's enough to have all the beams 12" square which may be a little overkill.......

Again, thanks for the responses.