Beech

General Description

Unsteamed prime-grade German Beech is imported square edged and sometimes logsawn (waney-edge).

Beech is prone to heavy movement down to the denseness of the timber and also stresses within the timber that occur after machining.

Unsteamed is usually paler and stocked as kiln dried. We have found in recent years less demand for the deliberately 'steamed' pink Beech, but it can be offered 'to order'.

Standard sawn thicknesses: 26mm, 32mm, 38mm, 50mm, 63mm, 80mm & 100mm. Lengths range from 2m to 4m approximately.

Working Properties

  • Machines well
  • Good for nailing/screwing, but should be pre-bored
  • Care should be taken when gluing
  • Wears well and holds stains and polishes well
  • Bends readily when steamed
  • The wood dries fairly rapidly but with a strong tendency to warp, split and surface check
  • Subject to a large shrinkage and moderate movement in performance

Physical Properties

  • Good overall strength
  • Excellent shock resistance
  • Good resistance to abrasive wear

Durability

  • Slightly/non-resistant to heartwood decay
  • Liable to attack by the common furniture beetle and longhorn beetle
  • Permeable for preservation.

Main Uses

  • Furniture
  • Doors
  • Flooring
  • Panelling
  • Internal joinery
  • Brush handles
  • Turning
  • Food storage/containers