How to buy timber at Tyler Hardwoods
See our FAQs below or contact us for advice
Tyler Hardwoods Limited
Salisbury Road
Shalbourne
Wiltshire
SN8 3NE
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Yard Hours:
Monday - Thursday 8am-5pm
Friday 8am-4pm
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Wood Shop Hours:
Monday - Thursday 8am-5pm
Friday 8am-4pm
Saturday openings as confirmed on social media
(Saturday openings exclude Yard).
FAQs
What timbers do Tyler Hardwoods stock?
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Tyler Hardwoods stock English, European, American and Tropical hardwoods and selected softwoods as air and kiln dried timbers, all available to view in our warehouse.
Our range is constantly changing and a good place to start is to search by species on our website. If the species you require is not listed please contact us, as we also source species for customers that are not in our main range.
Can I buy a single board?
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Yes - we are open to the trade and public and generally our minimum order quantity is one board for items selected from our yard.
For smaller pieces visit our Wood Shop to browse specially selected hardwood and softwood boards, blanks, burrs, mouldings, squares and more.
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How do I place my order with Tyler Hardwoods?
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You can contact us by email or phone, or make an appointment to visit us in person to view our timber and select boards from our warehouse.
If you are unable to visit we can select a board from our warehouse based on the cutting list for your design.
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What information do I need to place an order?
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All you need is an idea of the article you would like to make and its approximate size.
The design of the article will allow you to create a cutting list, which is a shopping list that includes the species, grade, thickness, width and length of the pieces required. We are happy to work in both metric and imperial dimensions.
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We can help with choosing a suitable timber species - our Wood Shop page is a great place to see what the different species look like (while the photos may not be representative of a volume, they do indicate the colour and grain you can expect).
You can either purchase the rough sawn boards or you can purchase the prepared components ready to assemble/install and receive their final finish – contact us for an estimate on your preferred option.
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How is my timber selected?
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If you are able to visit our yard to view and select your timber in person, please contact us by phone or email to arrange an appointment.
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Alternatively our warehouse staff can use your cutting list to select enough boards to fulfil the list from the packs of boards we have in stock. The dimensions of the selected boards are measured and the volume calculated, and all of this information is recorded on a tally printout.
The tally groups together boards from the same pack of the same species, thickness and grade to provide a subtotal for each product. It is used as a basis of an estimate or to price your order.
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What are the nominal and finished thicknesses?
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Our stock is held as rough sawn boards in a range of thicknesses, generally from 25-100mm (1-4inches) plus burrs and beam stock over 100mm (4 inches). This is referred to as the nominal thickness, which is an approximation to the exact measurement of the thickness of the sawn boards.
If you have an idea of the thickness of your finished components, we can advise the nominal thickness you would need to start off with to yield the finished thickness required.
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If you have a nominal thickness of board you would like to purchase, we can advise the finished thickness it will yield after it is machined to a smooth surface. Generally we expect around a 3mm reduction in the nominal thickness per planed face, so if a board of 27mm nominal thickness is planed on two faces it would usually yield a finished thickness of 21mm.
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How are waney and square edged boards measured?
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The method for measuring the width of a board depends on if it is a waney or a square edge board.
Waney edge boards, also known as log sawn or through and through boards, have a wavy edge resulting from the shape of the tree trunk. The width of a waney edge board is measured at three points along the length of the board, and the average of these measurements is used. Square edge boards have straight edges, so a single width measurement can be used.
Board widths are generally a minimum of 4 inches (25mm) and can be over half a metre (12”). Boards are often joined together to make up the total width of the article, which increases stability in comparison to using a single wide board.
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How is volume calculated?
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The volume of boards is calculated in cubic metres or cubic feet – we generally work in cubic feet as the significant digits in everyday volumes are easier to use. To help visualise a cubic foot, it represents a board 1” thick, 12” wide and 12 foot long (27 x 300 x 3600mm approx.).
English, European and Tropical timbers use metric units of measurement for the board dimensions and American timbers use imperial measurements - however there are exceptions to this rule, so we are able to work in both metric and imperial units.
Volume = Length x Width x Thickness
35.315 cubic feet (ft³) = 1 cubic metre (m³)
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What surface will my timber have?
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Our rough sawn boards are unfinished direct from the sawmill, so have the rough grain resulting from the logs being sawn.
Our prepared components are shaped ready for final assembly or installation, and may require a light sanding in preparation for your final finish such as oil, varnish or paint.
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How can I have my timber prepared, planed, shaped or moulded?
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When you have a cutting list for your design you can either visit us to select your timber or we can select the boards on your behalf.
We will perform as much or as little work to transform the boards into prepared components as you like, based on your instruction.
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Do Tyler Hardwoods supply flooring?
Tyler Hardwoods produces flooring from most timber species including Walnut, Elm, Ash, Sycamore, Chestnut, Maple, Poplar, Cherry and Douglas Fir. We machine flooring to a wide variety of specifications, from super prime wide fixed width boards through to rustic character mixed width and narrow floorboards.
The flooring we produce is supplied in a tongue and groove profile with stress relief (small grooves) on the underside to minimise the stress within the boards. We can end match the flooring to make the joints self-supporting if required, which avoids having to locate board ends on a joist resulting in reduced waste and less material being required to cover a specific area.
There is no minimum order quantity and we can provide estimates per square metre, based on collection from our yard. Alternatively we can organise delivery which is charged at cost and will select the most cost effective service according to the order quantity and timescale.
We also supply engineered flooring as this is sometimes a better solution for the environment the floor is being installed in and is generally a more cost effective option.
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How long will my order take?
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If your order is for sawn boards you can take the boards away with you when you visit to select them.
If we are selecting the boards for you the lead time can vary from the same day to a couple of working days, depending on the number of orders the yard are processing.
If your order is for prepared components the lead time can vary from the same day up to ten working days, depending on the number of orders our workshops are processing. We will confirm the lead time when you place your order, but are unable to cut any boards until the deposit payment has cleared.
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Do Tyler Hardwoods deliver?
We use third party hauliers including the pallet networks and HGVs for deliveries, and select the most cost effective service according to your timescale and the volume of timber ordered. We will provide estimates for delivery prices as required.
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Do Tyler Hardwoods Publish a Price List?
Whenever possible we ask customers to contact us instead of publishing a catalogue or price list, because of the number of variables influencing timber prices.
Please contact us if you have a particular project in mind and we would be happy to provide advice on species selection and an estimate of price.
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How much will my order cost?
The total price of your order is the sum of the cost of the boards, plus any selection and packing time and the delivery cost (if any). Collection from our yard is free.
The order estimates we advise are based on our assessment of the currently available stock and labour requirements to process it. However because timber is a natural product it is sometimes unpredictable, so the final price may fluctuate in either direction, but we do endeavour to minimise this.
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How is timber priced?
The volume of the boards selected for your order is calculated and depending on the species, grade, thickness, width and volume purchased of each individual product a price is applied to calculate the cost of each order line.
As is usual in the timber industry, a premium is charged for wider, thicker and thinner boards than standard, and for the different grades of boards within a species.
Tyler Hardwoods offer price discounts based on the volume ordered of each product selected or processed.
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How are workshop services charged??
Our workshop services are charged by the minute, after an initial minimum charge of 30 minutes.
After you receive your estimate, if you decide to place the order for workshop services with us we will need a 50% deposit to proceed, with the balance payable in full on collection/despatch.
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