Douglas Fir Timbers
Doug Fir timbers are a growing breed of wood timbers for both interior and exterior applications in the Midwest. Thanks to their high-quality appearance, predictable strength, and reasonable price point, they are an excellent fit for your big timber needs.
Available Sizes:
Features & Benefits:
-Premium appearance grade timber that is 100% Free of Heart Center and Free of Wane
-Beautiful auburn coloring and even grain
-#1 Grade for predictable strength bearing and spans
-More affordable than comparable Western Red Cedar sizes
-Available in custom sizes and in an S4S finish
Heart centers will lead to what is called "checking", which is when a long crack occurs within the timber. This happens as the timbers dries out in its final environment. Structurally there is no impact from checking and cracking in a timber, it's very natural and is simply the timber settling and stabilizing. However, those checks and cracks can be unsightly as they can run the whole length of the timber. Thus when you cut around the heart in a FOHC timber, you dramatically reduce field checking and splits and ensure a nice visual timber.
Covered and Exposed Exterior:
Rough Sawn Douglas Fir:
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Exposed Interior:
Rough Sawn Douglas Fir
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Smooth (S4S) Douglas Fir
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Painted Exterior:
Smooth (S4S) Douglas Fir
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Is this a premium or construction grade?
A: A #1 Free Of Heart Center is a high-quality appearance timber. It’s the ideal balance of strength and appearance and is excellent for exposed applications. Free Of Heart Center (FOHC) means that the timber is specially cut so that there is no heart center (bulls eye) which over time leads to checking.
Q: What is the strength rating?
A: All Doug Fir timbers are a #1 or better, and have predictable and designable strength ratings. Contact one of our engineers to properly determine the correct size timber for your application.
Q: What are the net sizes of these timbers?
A: All rough sawn timbers are full sawn rough, meaning their actual size will match the nominal size. Anything S4S will be a net roughly a 1/4" smaller.
Q: When should I use Doug Fir versus Cedar?
A: While Fir Timbers are more affordable than Cedar timbers, they do have some limitations. They can be used in an exterior environment but they won’t weather as well as Cedar and will have a shorter life-span. Common Doug Fir Timber applications are interior exposed beams and posts, strength bearing beams and posts, large timbers bigger than 6x6, and timber-framed trusses.
Q: Are these eased edges or square edge timbers?
A: Square edge.
Q: What is the lead time for a custom timber?
A: Assuming the needed cant is in stock, figure two weeks or sooner.
Q: Can you also do custom length timbers?
A: Yes, we have a P.E.T. saw that can cut timbers to a precise length.
Q: What about Timbers longer than 24’ or bigger in size than your stock items?
A: Because we are regularly ordering stock timbers, we can add those special orders to our regular inbound trucks. So they are available, just with a slightly longer lead time.
Design Values:
PDF: American Wood Council Span Tables
PDF: American Wood Council Design Values
PDF: Doug Fir Timber Grading Rules
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