EUROPEAN WHITE BEECH: RED HEART: H
Our Prime White Beech is mainly crown cut with rift and quartered stock being produced to order and is not normally available from stock. Our Red Heart stock is a mix of crown, rift and quartered and includes distinctive dark streaks and patches running with the grain. In addition to our Prime White European Beech, we now offer a Prime Super White European Beech production which is guaranteed to be consistently very white in colour and free from sticker stain/shadow.

Sticker Stain & Shadow At certain times of the year, due to climatic conditions, there is a tendency for this sticker stain/shadow to occur. It can be apparent in any light coloured timber with White Beech being a species which is particularly prone to this problem. Although we endeavour to purchase our stocks free from sticker stain/shadow which may penetrate into the boards, some shippers do not class this as a defect.

Production: T/T, 1/SE, S/E, S/E PTW, DIM.

Fagus sylvatica
Family: Fagaceae

Commercial names: English, Danish, French etc. according to country of origin.

Distribution: Throughout central Europe and U.K. also found in West Asia.

General description: The heartwood is very pale white to pinkbrown.
Some logs have a dark red kern or darker veining. Beech has a straight grain and fine, even texture. Average weight 720 kg/m3 (45lb/ft3); specific gravity 0.72.

Mechanical properties: The steam bending properties are exceptionally good, even tolerant of knots and irregular grain. It has medium stiffness, high crushing strength and medium resistance to shock loads.

Seasoning: Dries fairly rapidly, but is classed as moderately refractory tending to warp, check, split and shrink. Care is needed in air drying and kilning to avoid shrinkage. When dry there can be movement in service.

Working properties: The ease of working varies with growth conditions and seasoning. Tough material or badly dried timber will bind on saws, burn when crosscut and be difficult to plane. Beech offers medium resistance to hand and power tools and has a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. Pre-boring is necessary for nailing, it glues easily, stains well and takes an excellent finish.

Durability: The wood is perishable, liable to attack by common furniture beetle and by death watch beetle in old buildings. Sapwood is affected by longhorn beetle. The timber is permeable for preservation treatment.

Uses: Cabinetmaking, high class joinery, solid and laminated furniture, desks and work benches, chairmaking, shoe heels, sportswear, toys, bobbins, woodware, tool handles and turnery. More European Beech is consumed in the U.K. than any other hardwood.

JBT Comments: Once treated as an inferior timber to other hardwoods. With the increasing demand for temperate hardwoods European Beech is increasing in popularity and we are now exporting much of our stock in square edge form.

Sticker Marks/Shadow: At certain times of the year, due to climate conditions there is a tendency for this problem to occur. Although we endeavour to purchase our stock free from sticker marks/shadow which penetrate into the board, our shippers of waney edged through and through boards do not class this as a defect. We have however found a prime square edge production which is guaranteed free from this sticker mark problem.

Certification: We have established a supply of European White Beech which is produced from well managed forests, independently certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council A.C. and/or The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scemes. All our Certified Timber is processed through our Chains of Custody which are audited by BM TRADA Certification.

Grade: We offer Prime Waney Edged in through and through log sawn production. Unfortunately other lower grades, particularly First Quality are imported and offered as Prime. It is important to establish the grade and specification offered when making price comparisons. The “Prime” grade of the waney edged stock we offer is predominantly sideboards, known as “looseware”. The grade is selected for whiteness and is in principle free from colour and defects on one face, whilst allowing some colour and small defects on the reverse of some boards. With our stock being from sideboards there is little or no quarter sawn stock in our production. We can offer quarter sawn stock in one square edge or square edged boards to order.

Prime Super White European Beech: In addition to our Prime White European Beech we now offer a Prime Super White European Beech production which is guaranteed to be consistently very white in colour and free from sticker stain/shadow. Available from stock in 26mm thickness with other thicknesses to order.

Spalted Beech: This is mainly found in Native Beech which has been attacked by a fungus when left in the round log for sometime, normally in damp conditions. It is apparent in the form of fine black and brown irregular stripes or hyphae, which do not necessarily run with the grain. As it is a living fungus we recommend that some protection should be worn when converting and working boards where spalting is apparent.

Specification: Waney edge, through and through, 2.5 metres and longer, average 3 metres allowing 5% 2.1 metres and longer. 200mm and wider. One square edge, resawn after kilning; 1.8 metres and longer, average 2.7 metres. 125mm and wider, average 175mm. Allowing maximum 5% 1.5 metres and/or 75mm/100mm.

Stockholding: 4,000 cubic feet in kiln dried stock 20mm through to 80mm thickness. Our 100mm stock is well air dried only.

Grade: Prime Square edge, which is in principle free from major defect on all faces and free from sticker marks/shadow.

Specification: 2 metres and longer averaging 2.4 up to 3.6 metres. 100mm and wider averaging 150mm and better.

Stockholding: 3,000 cubic feet in kiln dried stock 20mm, through to 80mm thickness. Squares are also available to order.