Oak beams Back to Home Page
We cut oak beams to order
from lovely quality locally grown stock.
This windblown log
from a National Trust property produced many high quality beams.
Any size is available up to a
maximum of 20 feet long (6 metres) and a cross section of around two feet by
two feet.
The price for non-structural
beams is £20 per cubic foot of timber, with NO VAT, up to 13 feet long, and £23
per cubic foot over 13 feet long. So for
example if you need a beam one foot square and ten feet long it is ten cubic
feet of oak and therefore £200.
Ring or email for a price for
any beams at all, or you can work it out yourself if you have a calculator
handy….
Get the size of
the required beam in inches.
Multiply the
thickness by the width by the length.
This is the volume in cubic inches.
Divide that
figure by 1728 and this will give you the volume in cubic feet.
Structural Strength
The structural strength of a
beam can vary greatly. If strength is
not important (the beam may be decorative rather than load-bearing) a regular
grade beam will be the cheapest option.
If structural strength is important, beams will be cut and selected accordingly. This means any knots or defects have to be
small in relation to the size of beam, and the grain must be fairly
straight. Structural beams are £25 per
cubic foot of timber, up to 13 feet long, and £28.75 per cubic foot over 13
feet.
Oak beams being graded
for a customer.
Oak beams are unseasoned
which means you can expect them to dry over time (years usually). This is not detrimental to the strength of
the beam and is the reason old oak beams are so rarely straight! Some surface splitting may occur but only
with the grain so maintaining the strength.
Larger beams often contain
some sapwood around the edges. This is
usually not a problem as the vast majority of the beam is heartwood which is
the durable part. However, if you wish,
sapwood can be completely excluded, but the price will increase by 10%.
Delivery is available
nationwide, though we often find that north of Yorkshire/Lancashire the cost can
become rather high.
How much will a beam weigh?
If you have calculated the number of cubic feet for a beam just multiply this figure by
65 to get the approximate weight (in pounds) or 30 for kilos. Unseasoned oak is shockingly heavy!