Structural Oregon

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Blacktown Building Supplies – Structural Oregon

One of the best-known species of timber, Structural Oregon is also mostly referred to as Douglas Fir. Originally a native of the west coast of North America, it has been extensively forested in timber plantations throughout South America, Europe, and New Zealand due to the species becoming naturalised in these areas.

Sawn Douglas Fir timber is readily available in Australia, but supplies are quick to run out due to its popularity: It is one of the hardest softwoods available, can be obtained in long lengths, and is one of the more affordable timbers available today. This is despite the fact that it is only moderately easy to work with.

The sapwood of Structural Oregon occurs in a band that is about 50 to 75 millimetres wide — depending on where the timber comes from — and is often distinctively paler than the heartwood. This ranges in colour from a soft yellow to orange and all the way to a deep reddish-brown. The grain is usually straight, with earlywood and latewood having pronounced colour differences that make an eye-catching figure on backsawn surfaces.

This timber can be easily machined and turned but surface ridging can occur if planer blades are not kept sharp. Nails can have a tendency to follow the timber’s growth rings so care needs to be taken when using standard fastenings and fittings.

Douglas Fir has a high resin content and dressed products can often feature earlywood-latewood ridging, so care needs to be taken when selecting the timber for finishing applications and when preparing the surface for varnishing or painting. There is no problem with adhesives though and Structural Oregon can be satisfactorily bonded using standard procedures and glues.

Some common applications for the sawn timber are in weather-protected heavy construction applications, which include mining timbers, poles, and posts. Treated boards and pilings may be used in landscaping and for marine structures as well as general house framing, flooring, lining pergolas, bargeboards, and fascias.