The Timber We Use
We are passionate supporters of British forestry and British Woodland Management.
As well as British timber, we also use French and American hardwoods (more specifically, French Prime Oak and American Black Walnut) in some of the furniture that we make.
We only use ethically sourced timber from sustainable forests.
The timber for each piece of furniture we make is individually handpicked from trusted sawmills, for that one job.
Have you seen our Finishes Guide?
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Timbers Guide
The timbers that we use to make the furniture in our collections (the pieces you can order online), are Prime Oak (either French or British), British Pippy Oak, British White Ash, and British Olive Ash.
If you see a design that you like and want to have it made in a timber that is not listed in the dropdown on the product page, just drop us a line and let us know what timber you would like your furniture to be made in, so that we can work out a price for you!
Have you seen our Finishes Guide?
Have a look at the images and descriptions below to help you choose your timber.
Prime Oak
The modest and elegant grain and figuring of Prime Oak lends itself to many a different interior. It is understated in its beauty and quality.
At Orpago we tend to use both British and French Prime Oak. French tends to be slightly straighter grained have better colour consistency across a single board, whereas British has a more figurative grain a colour contrast.
British Pippy Oak
Our British forests produce the finest pippy oak in the world. The open pasture like nature of our woodlands, hedgerows and parks allows easy light penetration which encourages ‘epicormic growth’ on the base trunks of the trees.
These growths, which look like tumours on the outside penetrate deep into the heart wood of the tree and when cut perpendicularly to the direction of travel, they look like as cat’s paw prints or patches of burr on the board.
British Olive Ash
Once past the crown cut boards of an Ash tree and more towards the centre the appearance of the timber changes.
The boards will have olive coloured streaks running down part or the length them. These streaks are bordered by the paler ash colour of the tree.
British White Ash
White Ash is found in the crown cut (outer) boards of an Ash tree.
As such, it can boast stunning grain patterns. Unlike Olive Ash boards, which have the contrasting pale and dark streaks; it is more uniform in its colouring.
Counterintuitively, due to it being called White Ash, it can give off striking pinkish hues, which gives it more depth of colour than the paleness of say Sycamore or Maple.
American Black Walnut
