Finish for oak mantle beam

[mel b3]

7 hours ago, team tractor said:

15% is good for windows etc . 6-8 is better inside but it’ll just go to its surroundings. 
2 years would be ok if it’s 1” thick but rule of thumb is a year an inch plus 1 year before it’s ready . 
it’ll move lots but that’s part of the character .

the scary part with oak is the shrinkage.

we had fresh sawn boards shrink from 13” wide to 11” . They say allow 1” in every 8” 

I had no idea that oak could shrink so much nath , that's a massive amount.

[team tractor]

4 hours ago, mel b3 said:

I had no idea that oak could shrink so much nath , that's a massive amount.

Crazy isn’t it dude . 
You also can’t kiln dry anything over 4” thick as it destroys the centre . .

im 23 years in since starting this career and I still rely on reps and the internet to learn loads . 
We’ve had 5 joinery companies close locally due to them all being old 😂. My dads the same age ( 70) and I’ve had the pleasure of them all coming around for a chat and I learn off the lot.

H&s joinery 

Kingsbury joinery 

triangle joinery

chenler joinery 

frankie grace joinery 

thats just my dads mates plus many more .

[mel b3]

5 hours ago, team tractor said:

Crazy isn’t it dude . 
You also can’t kiln dry anything over 4” thick as it destroys the centre . .

im 23 years in since starting this career and I still rely on reps and the internet to learn loads . 
We’ve had 5 joinery companies close locally due to them all being old 😂. My dads the same age ( 70) and I’ve had the pleasure of them all coming around for a chat and I learn off the lot.

H&s joinery 

Kingsbury joinery 

triangle joinery

chenler joinery 

frankie grace joinery 

thats just my dads mates plus many more .

How does it destroy the inside nath ?, does it sort of cook it before it dries it ?.

[team tractor]

2 hours ago, mel b3 said:

How does it destroy the inside nath ?, does it sort of cook it before it dries it ?.

It honey Combes the inside . 
if anyone tells you they have over 4” thick timber kiln dried it’s not true 👍. 
we use 8x8 , 10x10 ,12x12 and it’s green or air dried .

some places sell air dried but it’s only been cut 6months so it’s not air dried . 
who we use in Somerset have had it 5-20 years on the yard but it’s running low now thanks too covid 

[mel b3]

14 minutes ago, team tractor said:

It honey Combes the inside . 
if anyone tells you they have over 4” thick timber kiln dried it’s not true 👍. 
we use 8x8 , 10x10 ,12x12 and it’s green or air dried .

some places sell air dried but it’s only been cut 6months so it’s not air dried . 
who we use in Somerset have had it 5-20 years on the yard but it’s running low now thanks too covid 

It's no wonder that good oak is so expensive.  You have to wait 80 years for it to grow ,then wait another 20 years before it gets cut up .  All that before it even gets made into something. 

What do you use green oak for nath ?.

[team tractor]

1 hour ago, mel b3 said:

It's no wonder that good oak is so expensive.  You have to wait 80 years for it to grow ,then wait another 20 years before it gets cut up .  All that before it even gets made into something. 

What do you use green oak for nath ?.

Green oak roof trusses , conservatory’s, porches  etc . It’s blooming heavy 😂. 
 We try to stick to air dried dude to avoid the amount of water we find inside . It damages the tooling turning it blue . You even have to watch what you sand it with as it stains the oak blue/black . Zero steel in the sandpaper 

[mel b3]

56 minutes ago, team tractor said:

Green oak roof trusses , conservatory’s, porches  etc . It’s blooming heavy 😂. 
 We try to stick to air dried dude to avoid the amount of water we find inside . It damages the tooling turning it blue . You even have to watch what you sand it with as it stains the oak blue/black . Zero steel in the sandpaper 

All of my tools , and part of the bench in my she's is black because of it 😖.

[team tractor]

2 hours ago, mel b3 said:

All of my tools , and part of the bench in my she's is black because of it 😖.

Nothing you can do either