Stacked

The donated timber has arrived and the details follows but first a little background. A large Silky Oak tree was cut down and was offered to our friends at Hawkesbury Woodcraft. They had sufficient timber and remembered that the interior of our carriages used Silky Oak quite a bit for things like seats. So we were offered it. They would arrange for it to be sawn into manageable sizes and we would store it to age. After a few false starts and setbacks this is what happened.

Alan, Justin and Kevin arrived at the site early to clear a space inside 683 to stack it. They also needed to prepare spacers to go between the boards to allow the air to circulate. These are important as the timber needs to have a moisture content of less than 10% before it can be used. We had been given some scrap plywood that was cut up for this.

After lunch the Andy Macs' truck arrived with the timber. Paul providing an escort to the site (for no particular reason, he just timed it well!) where Alan was waiting at the front gate to guide it in.

After the timber was unloaded it had to be moved into 683 and stacked carefully. Paul and Kevin provided the muscle to move it while Justin and Alan provided the knowledge (and some muscle) to stack it.

There was some sign of moisture between the boards, we don't know exactly when it was cut and how long it has been waiting to be moved. As it is now stacked under cover and with spacers it should dry out fine. There are various sized pieces and after drying it will be useful as we progress with the restoration of the carriages.