Articles: Uses of Fresh Sawn Oak

Fresh sawn oak is a wonderful natural material and is known and used worldwide for its versatility and structural integrity.

The construction industry has been using fresh sawn oak as building framework for centuries due to its impressive strength and excellent durability. Fresh sawn oak in ideal circumstances can last up to 35 years and has no problem withstanding huge amounts of pressure.

Fresh sawn oak is oak in its rawest usable form, no preservatives or treatments are added making it considerably more economical and an excellent choice for larger projects where the material costs are a concern.

Another benefit of fresh sawn oak is it will begin to dry over time and lose moisture content which causes the timber to shrink and compress creating a much tougher structure. This process also causes splits and cracks across the length on the wood and ages to a magnificent silver-grey colour giving an elegant, distinguished look. This is a purely cosmetic change and doesn’t affect the robustness of the wood.

Now that we have discussed the advantages of using oak as your building material we can move onto all of the potential projects you can implement oak into.

Frames and beams

First and foremost, the most popular use of fresh sawn oak is as mentioned above, in the construction industry. Builders regard oak as the go-to choice for framework as its one of the most reliable hardwoods you can use.

Structurally, fresh sawn oak is used in home improvement such as porches and trusses where they provide a superb aesthetic to any household. It’s also common for fresh sawn oak to be used in standalone external structures such as gazebos pergolas and garages, these are especially popular because due to their unrivalled resistance to the elements and there fantastic appearance.

Watercraft

The shipping industry generally uses fresh sawn oak too. Sailing against heavy crashing waves requires a very sturdy and durable timber fresh sawn oak is the perfect candidate and has no problem keeping sailors afloat. Not only that, fresh sawn oak is far more economical than its premium competitors in the shipping trade but that’s not to mean its effectiveness is diminished, oak is still a high quality material and will provide years of excellent service.

Cladding

Fresh sawn oak is particularly popular when used as waney edge cladding due to its pleasant more rustic look. Of course overtime it will dry, split and alter in size so it's recommended to use it in shorter lengths and affix it as soon as possible. This wont cause any issues if you account for the shrinkage and as a result you have a very cost effective method of cladding.