unseasoned oak and using it indoors

happyhero

Hi, Can anyone advise me? I want to make an oak table and I want to put a 3.5 meter oak beam across the ceiling with 2 uprights holding it up all out of the same wood so it all matches, a bit like getting curtains that match your bedspread etc.

Seasoned oak is so unbelievably expensive and out of my financial reach whereas I have found a wood yard that can supply sleepers in different woods, new and old, treated and untreated and this is a much cheaper way to get oak even with paying for cutting.

I want to try and get as near as I can to the American Light Oak you sometimes see. The closest match they have appears to be a new Oak called New French Oak and it comes unseasoned.

I have been told that unseasoned oak may split or twist. I am after a very clean square look and definitely not the old battered oak look you get in pubs. I don't mind splits as I think they will add some character and can be filled but I don't really want to go to all the trouble of putting a huge beam on the ceiling, nice and square, only for it to twist badly.

Someone from the woodyard said that people just take chances when they want to do any work with Oak indoors and that it does not twist so much as softwood being such a hard hardwood.

Is this true or can I expect it to split and twist a fair bit. I appreciate no one can predict what it will do but has anyone tried this and had any luck and successfully made a indoor table etc?

Or can any carpenters tell me if this is a total NO NO and should it be avoided.

Any info appreciated

John_3:16

Personaly as a carpenter I would not dream of using unseasoned wood in a house that will be warm and dry. You are right in that saoftwood will probably twist and shake more. but also it will dry quicker. If you want to season it yourself it could take anything from 2-3 years to air dry. Kiln drying is quicker not sure how long think its about 3 weeks. You problem could be in shrinkage You will cut everything to fit and with in 6 months there will be big gaps everywere. Also machining wet wood could be a problem. As soon as you rip it I think you will find that it warps very quickly. IMHO I would not use wood that has not been seasoned in this situaution. There might be those who disagree.
Why do we bother to season if its not needed?

The_Biff

How much are these sleepers? I'm just in the process of ordering a lot for retaining walls in the garden.

Also - I wouldn't use treated wood inside the house on account of the chemicals.