Ghent wood products now has one of the Northeast’s Largest inventories of Air dried, Free of heart center Douglas fir timbers.
Douglas fir an evergreen that is native to western north America and grows up to 300 ft tall, with diameters of 15’-18’… Wow! It’s recognized for its superior strength to weight ratio, making it a mainstay in timber frame building.
Learn More
Superior Quality Timbers
Ghent Wood Products sources its timbers from responsibly managed forests, promoting smart conservation. Using salvage logs from the forest floor ensures a renewable resource, while the careful selection process guarantees superior clear grades with a fine ring count indicative of slow, stable growth. Our Douglas Fir Timbers are graded for structural use. All our timbers are grade stamped on one end with the grade, Select Structural, or No. 1 Structural, with approximately 70% of the timbers Select Structural, and 30% No. 1 Structural.
Free of heart center (FOHC)
What does FOHC, or free of heart center mean? It’s actually exactly how it sounds. These trees are so large that there are able to be sawn outside of the heart of the tree. FOHC timbers are much more stable and less likely to twist or split then timbers sawn with a boxed heart. Boxed heart timbers are more likely to checking and splitting because the radial grain is left in the timber.
Air Dried (AD)
Having a large inventory of Doug fir like ours, is a key factor to properly air drying our timbers. We are able keep a consistent turn around period, and really manage how long our timbers are air dried before being used on a project. When it’s air dried rather than kiln dried it retains its natural moisture content and superior color, reducing the risk of cracking or splitting. When timbers are used too wet or “green” they have a much better chance of shrinking and moving.
S4S or Rough sawn
Ghent wood products have the capability of custom surfacing (S4S) beams, or leaving them rough sawn. We can also resaw these into any custom sizes you may need. Beams in stock range from 4×6” to 10”x16”. We also stock up to 26’ long and can get longer upon request. Because these beams are FOHC we are able to resaw and produce some of the finest Vertical grain or quarter sawn lumber you can imagine. With all of our resources, anything is possible.
