Andy Parker

Andy joined Carpenter Oak & Woodland in 2005, to help the company provide a greater focus on customer service, marketing and sales. Andy’s background is varied indeed – helping him to bring a wide range of skills to the team. An avid lover of carpentry, Andy has also spent time in furniture restoration and conservation – something he still enjoys as a hobby.

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Previous posts

• Timber Supply for Oak Frame Houses
• Timber frame for supermarkets
• The quandary of externally exposed oak frames
• Oak frame and building budget
• Infill panels and building warranty

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By Andy Parker

It is interesting that so many people specify oak frames for their homes when a number of other equally suitable timbers are readily available. Quite a high proportion of people can’t actually tell the difference unless presented with samples side by side and even then a good degree of uncertainly prevails. But it’s us the manufacturers who need to make a better job of promoting alternatives. Certainly Douglas fir and chestnut are very good structural timbers, indeed on some fronts, better. They are lighter, cheaper and to all intent and purpose just as durable so long as the architectural detailing is up the job and this applies as much to oak framed buildings. Most of us are aware that many period oak framed houses still stand today; we know oak was used to build warships and we’ve seen examples of beautifully figured oak used in furniture. Consequently we have a sense of its solidity and beauty in a way that we don’t for other timbers. Yet typically an oak frame won’t display the dazzling medullary rays you see in furniture because to do so it really needs to be quarter sawn and planed, both a cut and finish rarely used in timber framing. So as Christmas is upon us how about giving the chestnut a look in!