Source of Oak timber?

[A.Lee]

I'll be building a wardrobe soon in Oak. I have got the doors, the veneered ply sides/top/rear are on order, now I'll be needing the framing. Probably 3x3 for the 4 legs, - this I can buy locally, but the cross struts will need to be smaller, nearer to 2x1. There are 2 hardwood suppliers locally to me, but neither have got anything like that, they have got 12"x2" board, but they say it may warp when cut up, or rather, they cannot guarantee it will not warp when cut.

So, has anyone a known source for Oak timber is 2x1 or similar sizes? Thanks Alan.

[Andrew Mawson]

sizes?

Sound like a good excuse to buy a decent sawbench and a planer thicknesser to me

AWEM

[John Rumm]

Where abouts are you? Brookes Bros in Haybridge Essex would probably do it. Failing that, could you not rip a 3x3 down to the sizes you need?

[dom]

British Hardwoods will do it (N Yorks, but do mail order), but they are a bit expensive:

& Cripps (Ely, Cambs) certainly did do it, but have had a recent business reorg (now trading as Timbmet) which seems to make buying anything from them difficult (though I got an excellent clearance price on solid oak doors):

[pete]

If yo have a branch of Arnold Laver (and a lot of money) near you, they stock oak boards. I had a look around there before xmas and found a 1.8m by 145 by 20mm plank, PAR but they wanted £24 for it. Found an alternative supplier which was much cheaper but less convenient. Oak really takes it out of your tools (well, I found it difficult to machine). Once I had planed / thicknessed the piece I got I ripped it lengthwise to the width I wanted. Only _then_ did all the internal stresses in what had been a flat, straight plank get relieved and I ended up with a couple of boomerangs :-(

[A.Lee]

A piece has caught my eye, £80 though, 18" x 2" by 6'. It'd be great, cut in half to make a table top.

Well, yes, I can buy bigger pieces locally, but it would be a shame to cut them up to make smaller bits, as well as the risk of it warping, which would make it scrap. Ta Alan.

[A.Lee]

Alan.

[A.Lee]

Could do easily, but I may end up with 2 expensive bow shaped pieces. Alan.