OREGON
RECYCLED FROM Oregon or Douglas Fir was brought into Australia from the US and Canada throughout the 1900’s. It was used to make house roofs and old style trusses as well as purlins in factories and warehouses.
TIMBER KNOWLEDGE Old Oregon arriving from before WW2 is often very fine grained and almost knot free. Oregon from more recent demolitions was usually sawn from smaller, younger trees and has a much coarser grain and more frequent knots. Oregon is hard for a softwood. It requires care in planing and sanding because of the difference in hardness between the winter growth (darker) and the summer growth (lighter).
Oregon / Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii
USES We use the good quality fine grained Oregon for furniture and joinery. It can also be used for feature beams. The more knotty Oregon makes an interesting internal cladding.
NATURAL DURABILITY (approximate rating for the expected life of untreated and unfinished timbers exposed to the weather)
In Ground: Class 4 (0-5 years) Above Ground: Class 4 (0-7 years)
HARDNESS 3.0-3.4 kN (Janka scale)
DRY WEIGHT 480-560kg / cubic metre