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European Oak Beams For Structural Use
A beautiful and timeless natural material for construction and decoration.
How do I know which Grade to Buy?Deciding on what type of Oak to buy can be tricky, so it’s important to consult a Structural Engineer for any constructional work. They will be able to tell you the strength class and minimum sizes you need. Usually you will be asked for D30 (QPA) or D24 (QP1), these can be supplied as Fresh Sawn.
The Air Dried Oak has been left to dry for 1-3 years and are ex D24, and although it is suitable for construction, this time drying makes it so we can’t grade the timber. Now because it has done a lot of its movement, Air Dried is commonly used internally because it will move less and it has already started to split and crack. Due to the weathered faces we highly recommend buying Air Dried Oak Beams Planed to get the best out of the timber.
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Oak is one of the best structural timbers available in the UK offering: durability, versatility, value and so much more. It’s uses can range from framing an entire house to building a small flower bed in your garden. For all its qualities though, it’s one of European Oak’s perceived weaknesses that makes it so special.
You see the timber is naturally prone to movement, over time your beams will shrink causing them to split ands crack along the surface. Now it is important to account for this movement in the Oak, particularly if you are working with any kind of glazing, however that movement tightens up any joints in the structure and really helps to support your structure over time. One of the mistakes people make when they think about the movement your Oak will go through is that the beams will shrink in the length, which will never happen, the shrinkage only happens in the section.
As a timber, it has been used since medieval times for building and construction, so whatever your purpose, this timber is an excellent choice. Oak is also able to withstand attack from insects and fungus and has an attractive grain pattern, which makes it ideal for decoration purposes as well as practical use.
Using Oak Posts in Construction
Oak is one of the most used constructional timbers in the world and it is both very strong and looks great. Green Oak Posts are prone to movement but that is completely natural and as Oak Posts split and crack, they lose none of their structural integrity.
We use green Oak for the Gazebo and Pergola kits we supply and each piece is carefully mortised and tenoned so that you don’t have to do any of the joinery work. If you would rather build your own structure, then look at the beams for sale on our website which are provided sawn or planed ready for you to work on.
Image Gallery
Here are some photographs of beam jobs we've completed recently to give you an idea of the product
Frequently Asked Questions
Won’t the oak move as it dries?
The answer is yes, oak can shrink slightly, but it doesn't cause a problem. Fresh Sawn Oak posts, and air dried to a lesser extent, can shrink by between 5 and 7 percent across the face as part of the drying process, but almost negligibly in the length. This has the effect of pulling any jointing tighter, actually strengthening the structure. Oak dries very slowly and does not detract from its structural integrity.
As the surface of fresh sawn oak dries, it will begin to check, which gives oak its traditional, characteristic look.
What is the Difference between a Sawn and Planed Finish?
As standard, the oak posts have a rough sawn finish sometimes featuring lines from the band saw, which is perfectly acceptable for most applications, or can be sanded or hand-planed before use if preferred.
Sawn beams can have a tolerance of approximately 5mm plus or minus so we provide the option for your beams to be planed to a more exact finished size if required.
The main reason for having planed beams is to get more precise sizing. While smooth when you receive it, the surface will eventually check as it ages and dries, so planed and sawn faces end up looking similar with time.
Joiners tend to prefer to work with planed beams as they can work knowing the corners are square.
What type of fixings should I use with Oak?
If you are using screws or nails with the oak, it is important that stainless steel is used, as the natural tannins (acids) in the oak will quickly corrode iron.
My timber has blue staining how can I remove it?
As you can see on some of the photographs, beams can sometimes have black or dark blue marks on them that are picked up during production when they come into contact with ferrous metals. These can be removed immediately with Oxalic Acid.
I need a size unavailable online, is this possible?
Yes we can often supply smaller or larger sizes than we advertise online. If this is the case please email your cutting list to enquiries@iwood.co.uk, call us on 01889 597 281 ore talk to us on our online chat to discuss further.
If you enter the following settings into the calculator above, this is the price you for European Oak Beams will get.
QPA Fresh Sawn Construct. (D30 Equiv.): 100mm x 100mm x 2m - £35.95 inc (£29.96 ex)
(Product #: IW-5-32-22)
