Furniture Timber

Local timber species for furniture making

Here is an overview of the species of homegrown timbers we keep for furniture and cabinet making and their basic qualities. The stock table details the production thicknesses we try to make available.

Ash Fraxinus Excelsior Hardwood

Light cream colour, occasionally with Olive or Brown streaks. Medium coarse grain, not durable. Medium movement/stability. Heavy, dense and resistant to splitting.

Medium resistance to cutting, works well with hand or machine tools. Can be glued, painted, stained, polished. Hardwood.

Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus Libani Hardwood

Light to medium brown heart with strong scent. Medium fine, straight grain but can be knotty. Durable timber, medium moisture movement and low strength.

Can be difficult to machine, bark pockets can be troublesome. Can be painted and varnished well, Glue, oil and polish are Ok but high resin content prevents most treatments.

Cherry Prunus Avium Hardwood

Popular among garden designers and groundworkers alike, Oak can be applied to almost any exterior purpose and is the strongest, most naturally durable timber option in homegrown timber due to Tannin content and density.

Fresh sawn, it's yellow brown colouring can take an exterior finishes once surface dry, otherwise it will silver down very respectfully. Oak is a great non-toxic option for use in children's playgrounds and school landscaping and needs no additional chemical perservatives.

Chestnut Castanea Sativa Hardwood

Golden Yellow-Brown heartwood , similar to Oak, with straight grain and medium texture. Easy to work with machine or hand tools but very difficult to treat (moisture & acid content). Tough, hard Durable timber with Large moisture movement possible.

Good with exterior finishes, glues, stains polishes.

Elm Priocera or Glabra Hardwood

Colouring is dull brown with distinctive varied grain and texture, can have pip and burr. Striking contrasting sap is seen an attractive quality.

Can be difficult to work with, binds on saw, picks up on planing. Resistant to treatment but will take glue stain and polish. A slightly durable and fairly strong timber with medium moisture movement.

Oak Quercus Robur/ Sessiflora Softwood

Pale yellow brown heartwood with medium coarse grain tending to be straight and uniform. Exceptions are when quarter sawn, brown/yellow streaked or pippy.

Workable with machine or hand tools depending on grain pattern but very difficult to treat (moisture & acid content). Takes glue, stain and polish well. Strong, durable timber with medium moisture movement.

Good with exterior finishes, glues, stains polishes.

Sycamore Acer Pseudopalntanus Hardwood

Known for it's white pale colour, with fine grain and texture with occasional ripple (watch out for stick stains). Easy to work with machine or hand tools, apart from rippled grain which picks up in planing.

Excellent turning wood, easy to treat and takes glues, stains and polishes. Strong but not durable with medium moisture movement.

Walnut Juglans Regla Hardwood

Walnut has a greatly varied grain and colouring and can be irregular. Greyish Brown colour heart with strong brown figuring and pale sap.

Works well with machine or hand tools and good for turning and carving. Difficult to treat (acid content). Fairly hard, moderately durable timber with medium moisture movement. Glues and polishes successfully.

Yew Taxus Baccata Hardwood

Orange brown heartwood, often in streaks with pale sap. Interesting and varied grain with crossgrain, knots, pips and can be prone to shake.

Can be difficult to work unless grain is straight. High oil content makes treatment difficult but gluing and staining is fine. Tough, resilient wood, durable with medium moisture movement.

Typical Thicknesses

Species / Thickness mm	20	27	34	41	54	65	80
Ash	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Beech		•	•	•	•	•	•
Cedar of Lebanon		•			•		•
Cherry	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Chestnut Sweet	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Elm	•	•	•	•	•		•
Lime		•			•
Oak prime/Character/Pippy	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Sycamore	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Walnut		•	•	•	•
Yew		•	•		•	•