Source of Wood (Planks)?

[Regulator]

Does anyone local know of a good source of wooden planks?  I have need of some for a large raised bed.

I'm looking for something similar to scaffolding planks - about 3m long and 30cm across.

[pcolbeck]

Greg I asked our builder about scaffold planks and they are really cheap. Try buying some new. You could also ask any local scaffolding firms as they retire old one on a regular basis.

[Panoramix]

Scaffolding planks may not last very long, a bit of timber in contact with the ground need to be much more resistant than one standing in the air!

[pcolbeck]

Very true but have you seen the price of treated sleepers these days ? Since they used up the UK supply burning all the cows with foot and mouth the price has gone through the roof.

[Panoramix]

Very true but have you seen the price of treated sleepers these days ? Since they used up the UK supply burning all the cows with foot and mouth the price has gone through the roof.

May be the solution is designing these to make the planks replaceable!

Oak and chestnut will last in the ground but are expensive!

[Exit Stage Left]

Larch heartwood is durable in the ground, there is a sawmill in the Cambridge area specialising in it.http://www.cottenhamsawmills.com/  There will be a very large supply of Larch in the near future, as a disease will require whole plantations being felled across swathes of England.  Forestry Commission - plant health - p ramorum in south west england

[Zoidburg]

By the time you have managed to track down a usable supply of free planks you may as well go to a merchant a get a job lot of 3 meter decking boards and use them.

They are pretty rot resistant but you will have to double up on them as they are 150mm max tall.

I have never seen a cheap supply of scaffold planks as they are good quality planed construction grade timber, even dead ones are sold on as reclamation so I can't see them being that cheap darn saarf among the chattering classes with their gardens and allotments.

[Regulator]

Larch heartwood is durable in the ground, there is a sawmill in the Cambridge area specialising in it.Cottenham Sawmills Ltd, Cambridge, United Kingdom — Fencing, Gates & Firewood  There will be a very large supply of Larch in the near future, as a disease will require whole plantations being felled across swathes of England.  Forestry Commission - plant health - p ramorum in south west england

Ooh - that sounds interesting ESL, as they may be able to cut to size for me. I'd like 12" width boards but most scaffolding planks are 8-9". I'll have to give them a ring.

Greg I asked our builder about scaffold planks and they are really cheap. Try buying some new. You could also ask any local scaffolding firms as they retire old one on a regular basis.

The local places do them for about £12 each new (+VAT) - almost impossible to get second hand around here, as there are several well established wood recycling/reclamation projects that tend to snaffle them all.

I was tempted to nip down to one of the local building sites in the middle of the night...  

[clarion]

Most London drivers seem to be as thick as two short planks - plenty to go on there.

Alternatively, I understand that Barbara Windsor's acting talent is now going spare - that's very wooden (though it may now be a bit burned).

[Exit Stage Left]

I wouldn't go into sourcing timber for a raised bed with a fixed idea of 12 inch boards, they are hard to get out of a typical home grown log. Likewise don't think of a specific length. If you specify 10 feet and the mill has 12 foot logs it generates a lot of waste. It's best to talk to the mill and find out what they can do.
Don't call the wood planks, up to about 6 inches they are rails, above that boards. Scaffold boards are high quality stress-graded wood, so aim to pay less than that.
Sawmilling is an interesting process, I have of course made a short video about it.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/il_0hkPHTtc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/il_0hkPHTtc&rel=1</a>

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

Having just taken a break from building a set of five bar gates, I found that video fascinating ... 

[Exit Stage Left]

Having just taken a break from building a set of five bar gates, I found that video fascinating ...  

We ended up getting 60 cubic metres of Larch for a boardwalk. The spec was for 1,500mm boards, but the original logs were 4,800, so we ended up with them 1,600mm.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/lXgT7I2pv_4&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/lXgT7I2pv_4&rel=1</a>

[Regulator]

I wouldn't go into sourcing timber for a raised bed with a fixed idea of 12 inch boards, they are hard to get out of a typical home grown log. Likewise don't think of a specific length. If you specify 10 feet and the mill has 12 foot logs it generates a lot of waste. It's best to talk to the mill and find out what they can do.
Don't call the wood planks, up to about 6 inches they are rails, above that boards. Scaffold boards are high quality stress-graded wood, so aim to pay less than that.
Sawmilling is an interesting process, I have of course made a short video about it.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/il_0hkPHTtc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/il_0hkPHTtc&rel=1</a>

Ah - helpful.  As long as the planks are a bit longer than I need, I can always trim some off.  I would necessarily want to join some together if they were too short.

I'll pop the sawmill an email and see what they suggest/have in stock.

[Exit Stage Left]

You're always better talking to them on the phone, just tell them you want something for a raised bed and they'll know what dimension might suit. That way you'll know straight away if they're beyond your budget.