How To Dress Rough Sawn Timber?

Today, timber in Melbourne comes in many forms and varieties made for different purposes. If you are looking to buy sawn timber for your latest project, but need more information—you’ve come to the right place. Today, we outline the process that is undertaken in order to create and dress rough sawn timber.

Regarded as the least finished of all timbers, sawn timber begins its journey as a log and then it is cut into different shapes and sizes, and finished to be used in various applications. Sawn timber is particularly suited for use as solid timber beams and rectangular timber sections—though it has found use in many modern settings such as rustic style cafes.

Preparing The Logs

The first step in the process of creating rough sawn timber is to get the harvested logs ready for processing. This involves removing branches and bark from the tree trunks. Once the bark is removed, you are left with the heartwood and most of the sapwood from the tree. Depending on whether or not the sapwood is required, it may be left on the log, or it may be removed.

Processing The Logs Into Timber

The logs are now sent to a saw mill, where the processing begins. Special water sprays are installed in sawmills to stop the logs from splitting, as once a tree is cut down, it will rapidly begin to dry out. At this point the logs are sawn into rectangular shapes by being fully immersed in the saws themselves— becoming timber.

Due to their cylindrical shape, logs often prove to be tricky to handle and are usually cut in order to create flat surfaces. This can be done in several ways, including ‘splitting’ it down the centre. The timber is then cut into timber pieces that are shaped up in a way that it consumable.

Dressing The Timber

Being the most rustic of finishes, rough sawn timber is not dressed when it is finished and ready for sale. Fortunately, there is an alternative to rough sawn timber that is fully dressed and commonly regarded as the Rolls Royce of timber finishes. This timber is appropriately named dried dressed timber. Dried dressed timber is a timber that has been dressed on all sides, which gives it the smoothest finish possible. It is also dried after treatment to reduce shrinkage. Because of this, it can also be machined to exact specification, within millimeters. You will often find dried dressed timber being used in any application where looks and texture are quite important. Outdoor areas, decks and pergolas are just a few of the common uses for this timber.

If you would still prefer to dress rough sawn timber instead, it can be done with the right tools. Note that you should only attempt to dress timber yourself if you feel comfortable and confident operating the machinery required for the task.

While it can be done, the issue with dressing rough sawn timber yourself is that it is more time consuming, and without the right tools and experience, it can be challenging. Firstly, you would need to dry the timber yourself, as it is not dried after treatment. This can take a bit of time, depending on whether it is a hardwood or not. If you need the timber ready to go sooner rather than later, this might not be a viable option for you. Also, you would need to have all the appropriate equipment and the space readily available to do the job. These are just some of the reasons why attempting this process yourself can be more trouble than it’s worth.

A quick and easy way to DIY dress the timber would be to run it across a buzzer to get a nice even dress, then put it across a saw bench to get rid of the excess, and finally, run it through a thicknesser.

Thankfully, you don’t need to do it all yourself, as we have ready to use dressed timber for you. Call us today on 03 9305 2000.