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What Species of Wood Do We Build With?



Hickory Circle Construction uses locally milled, hard woods primarily building with Douglas Fir, Oak, Hickory, Cedar, and Pine species. Deciding on which wood is best for your project is one of the first choices you should make. The timber you choose can affect pricing, dimensions, and other structure and engineering characteristics.

Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir is an excellent choice for timber framing because it offers a beautiful, red to yellow natural grain, as well as providing structural strength. It is one of the most abundant woods, making it a common material in timber frame projects.

Oak
Oak tends to be one of the more expensive hardwood timber options. Across the board Oak timber is considered a beautiful, study softwood. Choosing Oak for your timber framing offers you the choice of White, Red, or Mixed Oak timber. White oak is weather resistant making it a great option for outdoor use, while red offers a warmer tone and is commonly seen indoors. Mixed Oak is as it sounds, a combination of white and red Oak wood.

Hickory
The strength and toughness offered makes Hickory unique. The combination is hard to find in other hardwoods. Hickory timber has unique markings making for a lot of characteristics in timber framing projects. It is versatile in indoor and outdoor projects, and is an affordable timer.

Cedar
Much like Oak, Cedar wood gives you the option of a paler white, or warmer red tone timber. Cedar wood stains well with natural oil or a darker wood.  Being rich in natural oils means the oils help preserve the wood making it hardy and long lasting. The same oils help Cedar timber be naturally resistant to weather conditions and insects, making it a common choice for outdoor builds. 

Pine
Pine offers great stability as it is a very solid wood. It has a straight grain making it an excellent candidate to be planed and stained well making it a common choice for custom, residential timber framing. The timber is characterized by it’s pale color with red markings throughout. Pine is not recommended for small beams or long spanning beams.

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