1. European Oak. Hardwood with good durability & a coarse, straight grain & a fine texture. Used mostly for joinery & furniture. It is also relatively expensive & extremely heavy. Expected service life: 40-60 years.
2. Columbian Pine. Softwood with good durability & a typically straight & plane grain, but occasionally comes with a curly grain. Very strong for its weight & machines well. Used mostly for joinery. Trees grow long & straight so greater lengths are available (up to 5m). Expected service life: 25-35 years.
3. North American Cedar. Very durable softwood with a straight grain, medium coarse texture & easy to work with. Used mostly for joinery & external projects. Currently the most popular species used for external cladding, it can be nailed & screwed easily without splitting. British Cedar is also available, but it is less durable. Expected service life: 40-60 years.
4. European Larch. Non-durable softwood with a straight & spiraled grain, medium to fine texture & a greasy feel. Easy to work with & can display lots of character & interesting patterns in the growth rings when flat sawn. Used mostly for flooring. Supply of good quality material is sometimes problematic. Siberian Larch is also available & of higher quality, but it is much more expensive. Expected service life: 30-40 years.
2. Columbian Pine. Softwood with good durability & a typically straight & plane grain, but occasionally comes with a curly grain. Very strong for its weight & machines well. Used mostly for joinery. Trees grow long & straight so greater lengths are available (up to 5m). Expected service life: 25-35 years.
3. North American Cedar. Very durable softwood with a straight grain, medium coarse texture & easy to work with. Used mostly for joinery & external projects. Currently the most popular species used for external cladding, it can be nailed & screwed easily without splitting. British Cedar is also available, but it is less durable. Expected service life: 40-60 years.
4. European Larch. Non-durable softwood with a straight & spiraled grain, medium to fine texture & a greasy feel. Easy to work with & can display lots of character & interesting patterns in the growth rings when flat sawn. Used mostly for flooring. Supply of good quality material is sometimes problematic. Siberian Larch is also available & of higher quality, but it is much more expensive. Expected service life: 30-40 years.
As a result of my research, I have decided to use Columbian Pine for the structure and North American Cedar for the cladding. Natural oils in the Cedar have a corrosive effect on ferrous (iron containing) metals, so I will have to use galvanized or stainless-steel fixings. Both species will also age to a silver-grey colour (shown above).
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/european-oak/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/douglas-fir-columbian-pine/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/cedar/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/european-larch/
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/cladding-selecting-species/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/english-oak/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/douglas-fir/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/western-red-cedar/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/european-larch/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/douglas-fir-columbian-pine/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/cedar/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/european-larch/
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/cladding-selecting-species/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/english-oak/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/douglas-fir/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/western-red-cedar/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/european-larch/