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Oak Beams and Sleepers

Beam oak and sleepers cut at our Wiltshire sawmills

Buying Oak Beams and Oak Sleepers

At our sawmills in Wiltshire we cut to order oak beams and oak garden sleepers. We also keep a large stock  We supply to both trade and retail customers.

If you are looking for a flexible and reliable British supplier of fresh sawn oak, we can help. For over forty years, we have sawn oak logs at our Wiltshire sawmills. We produce a wide range of fresh sawn oak and seasoned oak beams as well as curved braces and shaped oak posts.

We produce all beams in house, unlike many suppliers who purchase pre-cut beams from overseas mills. We have full control over the manufacturing process, ensuring consistent quality and accuracy as well as a quick turnaround when needed.

“I’ve been using Vastern for years, they are consistently better than other timber merchants I use, the staff are always helpful and the timber is always good quality. I think whoever buys the logs has a good eye for quality timber.”

Google Review 2020
With decades of experience, our team has a thorough knowledge of selecting, sawing and grading oak beams for structural uses. We supply specifications for entire oak frames as well as individual oak beams for smaller projects and restoration.

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Performance

Builders have constructed buildings from fresh sawn oak for centuries, and many of these original oak framed buildings are still standing.

Fresh sawn oak beams are cut directly from oak logs and are delivered wet or ‘green’. This literally means that there is a lot of water in the oak.

Fresh sawn beams will shrink as they dry. Most of the shrinkage will occur across the thickness and width. A general rule of thumb is to expect 10% shrinkage as the beam dries out. Wood does not tend to shrink too much in the length.

Fresh sawn oak will also split as it dries. This can be alarming but providing the grain is relatively straight, the splits will have no detrimental impact on the structural strength of the beam.

For renovation work it is sometimes necessary to limit the shrinkage potential of the oak. This is where seasoned oak becomes useful. These partially dried oak beams have done most of their shrinking in our yard and will be more stable once installed. Seasoned beams will arrive with drying cracks on the surface.

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Grading of Oak Beams

Grading starts with the tree. To produce oak beams of the right quality we need oak trees suited to the job. Our log buyer scours English woodlands and the oak forests of France to find oak logs that fit the bill. Once in the yard, we separate oak logs by size, length and quality, ready to be matched against customer orders.

After sawing, we grade oak beams to meet customer requirements. Our two qualified graders are capable of grading to the British standard 5756 or to the European grading rules . We also frequently grade oak beams to bespoke customer grades.

Talk to us if you are struggling to buy the grade of oak beams that you want. We may be able to help.

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Oak Beam FAQs

What is the difference between green and air dried oak beams?

Do you offer curved and shaped oak beams?

How do I clean my oak beams?

Are your oak beams cut to size?

Do you provide installation services?

Do you provide delivery services?

Are oak beams expensive?

Where do oak beams come from?

Why have my oak beams turned blue?

Are oak beams graded?

Why do oak beams split?

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      We can send up to three cladding samples to show characteristics and grade of the wood. We cannot supply specific cladding profiles.

      Please be aware that samples are only intended to give an approximate indication of how the cladding will look when delivered. All timber cladding will include natural variations in colour and quality.

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