Quality Scottish hardwoods
Visit Scottish wood and discover the beauty of our naturally characterful native hardwoods available.
All stock supplied is locally and sustainably sourced in Scotland.
Scottish Oak
Hardwood
Course texture
Strong and extremely durable
Uses include - construction both indoors and outdoors, furniture both indoor and outdoor, flooring, cabinetry, cladding, decking, waymarkers, fencing, gates, mantels, lintels, posts & beams, bar/work tops, panelling, veneers and craft work.
It is known for it’s golden yellowy brown colouring but Oak has variations depending on origin and grade and therefore a piece of natural Oak can take on a variety of hue; from light beige through dark brown, there is usually a clear distinction between heartwood and sapwood as it is generally lighter. Scottish Oak tends to be straight and uniform - exceptions are when quarter sawn or pippy/burry (cats paw)* which are extremely popular and sought after for the stunning unique grains produced. When cut quarter sawn the surface of the wood shows the attractive silvery figure of the medullary rays. Quarter sawn Oak is also much more structurally sound and resistant to cupping than timber that has been straight cut through and through. Scottish Oak works well but with moderate to severe blunting on blades, it stains and polishes well.
Scottish Oak is extremely hard wearing and strong. Tannins in the wood make the heart wood exceptionally durable outdoors without treatment and resistant to insect and fungal infestations. These tannins react to iron causing "ink stains" which can be ignored in rough outdoor work but for indoor work Scottish Oak should be secured with wooden pegs, brass screws or other metals containing no iron.
*Pippy or Cats paw, so called due to the frequent knots and clusters through the timber that can resemble pips or as the name suggest a cats paw print pattern. Larger knot clusters are generally referred to as "Burrs". This is formed by a tree in response to an environmental injury such as a pruning cut, disease, or animal/insect damage. Most commonly found in Oak and Elm and is highly valued and in demand.
Elm
Hardwood
Medium to course texture
Resistant to splinting/splitting due to interlocking grain
Common uses include - flooring, wall panelling, furniture, kitchen work tops, table tops, boxes, baskets, hockey sticks, veneer, crafts, wood pulp, and papermaking.
Elm heartwood is light to medium warm brown and can be highly grained. Paler sapwood is usually well defined and can be quite a striking contrast against heartwood which is viewed as an attractive quality making it an extremely popular wood to work with. Elm is know for these exquisite grain patterns which can be drastically different, offering many variations including striking green in colourful Wych Elm and stunning unique detail in burrs/cats paw, a waney edge is also often sought for in Elm.
Elm, particulary Wych, is generally a strong timber, the grain has a stepped pattern in it's wood fibres - making it very resistant to splitting, with a somewhat coarse, uneven texture. Elm machines well, (unless grain is irregular), it has moderate blunting effect and generally saws without issue, it also nails*, glues and finishes well. Rated as moderately durable it is less so than some hardwoods, though interestingly enough Elm is extremely durable, almost indefinitely once placed in water or below ground level. Living trees are susceptible to Dutch elm disease which has affected the supplies of this beautiful timber. The majority of our Elm stock has come from trees that have been killed by this disease.
*Due to it's grain growth pattern Elm end grain can be nailed/screwed without splitting unlike other hardwoods.
Beech
Hardwood
Fine texture
Good strength properties
Good properties for bending
Used for butchers blocks, in food preparation, kitchen cabinets, table/works tops, children's toys, furniture, flooring, wood panelling, turning and crafts.
Beech is pale brownish pink with some reddish heart, streaking & occasional spalting*, it has a fine even grain with small radial flecks visible. In general, Beech has a uniform appearance, with sapwood that can't be distinguished from heartwood. It is not durable but a heavy strong, hardwearing timber. It is clean, odourless and non tainting. Beech is easily worked with and can be glued, stained, polished well and is permeable to treatment.
*Spalting is rot in the wood while still in log form - this dark coloration of wood is caused by fungi colonising the wood and travelling up cells from the end or broken off branches, the fungi creates zone lines in the wood where territories meet - seen as dark dotting and markings/lines resulting in the most striking patterns! If the log is left and this process continues it can progress too far and cause the wood to soften and rot beyond use. Once milled the spalting process no longer continues. Most commonly seen in Beech but can occur in other timbers.
Sycamore
Hardwood
Fine texture
Straight grain
Non durable outdoors
Used for furniture, flooring, panelling, internal joinery, table/work tops, musical instruments, domestic utensils, boxes, wood burning/pyrography and crafts.
Sycamore is a plain but attractive timber popular for it pale lustred colouring and fine grain, it is usually straight grained but wavy or "rippled" grain can be found caused by varying grain direction. Sycamore has a subtle figure, with visible growth rings but few other distinguishing features*, the sap and heartwood are of the same colour and visual qualities. Sycamore demonstrates low stiffness, making it ideal for steam bending, it has medium to strong bending and crushing strength and Sycamore could be used structurally, but only indoors as both the heart and sap wood is classed as perishable. Overall Sycamore is easy to work with, cutting well in all directions, it has moderate blunting effect, nails, glues, stains and polishes well.
*Depending on how the Sycamore is grown/it's conditions, the heartwood can be darker in colour - almost orange or brown. Marbling and flaming/spalting colour variations can often found, similar to those in Beech.
Ash
Hardwood
Medium to course texture
Extremely durable
Good properties for bending
Tough and flexible
Popular uses include; flooring, stairs, furniture, skirting, interior joinery, sports equipment, tool handles, cabinet making, table/work tops, turnery and crafts.
Ash is a highly grained, pale creamy wood with usually no distinction between the heart and sap wood though figure can be characterised by contrasting early and late growth, particularly in crown cut boards, some Ash can also contain a subtle olive grey to vivid colouring through the heart wood. Ash is favoured not only for it's looks but it's incredible strength, it is tougher than most other woods, it is often described as being as tough as Oak, though this does not extend to outdoors as Ash has low tolerance for ground contact. Ash can be split, and has fantastic bending qualities, when steam treated it can be bent without breaking or losing strength.
Ash is easy to work with, with moderate blunting on tools, sawing, cutting, peeling and turning is unproblematic. Ash finishes and stains well.
Lime
Hardwood
Fine and uniform texture
Non durable
Popular uses; Carving, turning, furniture, table/work tops, boxes, veneer, musical instruments and crafts
Lime wood is a pale, even creamy/yellow colour with a straight grain and even texture. Lime is light to medium-weight, soft and tough and very rarely warps.. It has a fine and dense structure, it has low stiffness and shock resistance and doesn't split very easily - with medium bending and crushing strength. When dry the wood is stable it can be worked easily in all directions. Lime wood displays excellent carving properties making it ideal for shallow chip carving. Seasoned lime is very stable and is soft enough to be carved and yet firm enough to hold precisely cut surface well. Easily worked by machine and hand. Lime stains well and has good bonding properties.
Yew
Hard Softwood
Fine texture
Extremely flexible
Straight grain
Resilient and durable
Often uses include; furniture, archery bows, veneers, cabinetry, carvings, decoration, musical instruments (lutes), and turned objects.
Ok so yes, technically not a hard wood but Yew has properties worthy of a hardwood, it's annual growth rings are so tight that it is usually harder and heavier than your average hardwood - plus it's just an overall stunning timber that deserves a mention!
Yew, with it's lustrous smooth, fine texture is an extremely favoured, prized timber boasting a vibrant chestnut brown heartwood with streaks of orange and even purple contrasting richly with it's pale sap, tiny decorative pin knot clusters further enhance this stunning timbers appeal making it a clear favourite. Yew is heavy, very hard and firm, it is tough and elastic. Yew is not prone to shrinkage and has good stability. The wood is resistant to weather and not susceptible to fungal or insect infestation. It can be difficult to work with unless the grain is straight but glues, planes and sands well. Yew can take a stain and produces a brilliant smooth sheen once finished.
All these timbers (and more) are available from our Timber-shop and mixed stock shed onsite. Selected stock available from our online store, delivered direct to you. For Sawmill orders and enquiries have a look at our website to see what's available for cut to order or contact our Sawmill directly at enquires.scottishwood@gmail.com