What to expect from fresh sawn timber
Every care is taken to select the best timber for our products, this is a guide of what to expect from fresh sawn timber.
Wood is an organic material and will react to different conditions as it ages.
The most common effect on the timber is its moisture content, in fresh sawn timber the content of moisture and sap can be quite high. Over time as the wood looses this moisture surface cracks can appear along the grain, this is caused by the wood shrinking slightly as it dries, these splits may be particularly apparent in larger section timber.
The splits and cracks in the wood are entirely natural and they do not affect the strength of the timber, (evidence of these ‘shakes’ can be seen on wooden telegraph or electric poles).
Staining or painting the wood can draw attention to any changes in the surface of the timber.
Another significant effect can be the stresses that are released when the wood is sawn to different sizes. These stresses can, as the timber matures, lead to bending and twisting of posts and rails therefore care should be taken, particularly with longer and thinner sections of timber, that they are well supported to avoid sagging or twisting.
These effects are common in this type of material and vary considerably from one piece of wood to another, unfortunately it is not possible to predict which will be affected or by how much.