Can anybody recommend a handbook or web resource where I can find strength data for structural timber.
I'm specifically looking for loading recommendations for posts (ie supporting the roof of a verandah)....and variances between different materials (eg Pine/Oak).
The trouble with the strength tables is they require a bit of experience on the part of the timber grader. Two pieces of the the same kind of wood may have very different strengths because of knots and other defects. Since you are building a verandah rather than a multistorey carpark just use a bit of common sence and err on the side of overkill. I built a verandah recently with 6 inch square oak posts. Plenty of overkill there but green oak only cost =A315 per cubic foot and big post look nice. I expect posts of a quarter the crossectional area (3 x 3 inch) would have been more than adequate. Pine is more likely to rot at the bottom end than oak. Larch, Douglas fir and cedar are the more durable softwoods.
demo version of superbeam will do what you want as well (even though you need the full version to print results etc) - this is the applications used by many architects etc for doing structural calcs. It is pre loaded with a good selection of common constructional timber data:
formatting link
nice bit of software, although you still need the basic background information to get sensible results out of it.
(not a fan of the sagulator mentioned elsewhere since it seems to give answers that are significantly out!)
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