TIMBER POSTS & BEAMS

We have a good range of 2.5 - 5.0m lengths in stock. Multiples of one length and longer lengths will need to be milled to order and this usually takes 6-8 weeks.

For most uses in a house or pergola, any hardwood post over 100x100mm will usually be stronger than is required from a structural perspective, so it is often more about getting the right look and proportions.

We regularly find that customers come in asking for 300x300mm posts but when they see how large and heavy they really are, they end up choosing a 205x205mm or 155x155mm post.

Class 1 or 2 durability species are best for building pergolas. Class 1 includes species like Ironbark, Grey Gum, Spotted Gum, Tallowwood & Turpentine, and Class 2 includes species like Blackbutt, Brushbox, Karri, Red Mahogany, Stringybarks & Southern Mahogany.

For more details on the species available and recommendations for use please check our Timber Species page.

Generally bridge timbers and large power poles were graded as F27 strength rating before entering their initial service life, so they will be above and beyond the minimal load bearing requirements of a pergola or other light structure. However, if you require a structural rating for your use, then the timbers will need to be re-graded which is an extra cost.

An inspector will visit our sawmill and grade them, so we generally can't offer this on posts which are in stock in our yard, but we can organise it if you are ordering the posts from us well ahead.

If your project has an engineer involved, they are also often willing to certify a smaller quantity of posts, which will be less expensive than getting an inspector down from Sydney for a small job.

Most bridge girders and telegraph poles were sawn to include the heart or centre of the tree—the ‘centre heart’. They are suitable for posts at a minimum of 130x130mm size as the heart needs to be well surrounded by timber.

Posts sawn from the top section of telegraph poles will have quite regular holes from the old climbing pegs. We usually make smaller 130x130mm and 155x155m posts from the top sections, which also have more surface checking and cracking. The base sections are used to make 155x155mm, 205x205mm and 255x255mm posts and will often have quite a clean appearance and can have no bolt holes at all.

Larger 300x300mm posts are usually sawn from bridge girders, and will often only have a couple of bolt holes near each end.

Old factory posts, telegraph poles and bridge timbers have weathered and gone grey over the years they were in the original structure.

When we resaw a round telegraph pole or bridge girder into a square post, the fresh colour of the timber becomes re-exposed. If left untreated this will gradually weather and go grey again over the next 2-6 months.

If you would like the natural red or brown colour of the timber brought back we recommend grinding and brushing the surface. For grinding we use a coarse sanding disc to remove the surface layer of greyed off timber. For brushing we use a wire brush mounted on an angle grinder to strip out any remaining dirt or loose timber and smooth the surface.

If you would like to retain the weathered grey appearance, then just wire brushing without grinding is an option to remove splinters and smooth the surface without losing the grey patina.

Once your posts are installed, if you want to retain the appearance of the grinding and brushed surface and keep the colour of the timber, you will need to protect it with an oil finish. We recommend Osmo UV Protection Oil for all exterior vertical surfaces exposed to the weather. The UV Protection oil will need to be regularly maintained every 6-18 months depending on how much exposure to the sun and weather the timbers have.

Osmo also makes a range of Decking Oils with pigmented stains incorporated which are suitable for protecting both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The stain will unify the colour of the timber and you will lose some of the natural variation in colour, but will require less maintenance than the UV Protection Oil. Usually the Decking OIls will need recoating every 18-36 months.

If you decide to keep the weathered grey patina, your timbers will not need any coating, but will still need occasional cleaning with a wire brush on surfaces that are handled or sat on. This will remove any small splinters and roughness which may appear as the timber weathers.

Learn more.

You can put a Class 1 Durability post in the ground but you will get better long term life if you mount it on a post shoe (also known as a ‘stirrup’). Concreting a timber post into the ground isn't best practice as it holds moisture around the post and can accelerate decay.

Thor's Hammer can recommend appropriate post shoes suitable for both the size of your posts and where they will be installed. Often heavy duty post shoes will have a steel fin which is carefully slotted into the post with a chainsaw. Let us know if you would like us to cut the slot and mount the post shoe for you.

Yes, we can fit or mount post shoes / stirrups for you if needed. Get in touch.

99% of the timbers we use and supply are recycled - the only exception are the natural edge slabs which we source from logs salvaged from street trees, road clearing and other authorised tree removals. Check out all our species here. We have packs of recycled timber arriving regularly, and if you bring in your own timber we are also happy to dress it or make things out of it for you.

You can visit us at 10 Mildura St, Griffith, Canberra, ACT during opening hours and we are happy to show you around our showroom, gallery and workshop, and we can also take you out into our lumber yard to check out our current posts & beams stock.

As you walk up the boardwalk, past our pergola and through our front doors, you will be experiencing our posts & beams in action—everything is made from Thor’s Hammer timber.

Our showroom and office is fitted out in our recycled timbers and there are plenty of samples of all the different recycled timber species and finishes on display.

Upstairs in The Mixing Room Gallery we have some beautiful pieces of furniture as well that we’ve made for display, specialising in dining tables.

You are welcome to drop past our showroom any time and we will be able to have a look at your project together. If you have a very complex or detailed project it is worth giving us a call or email to set up an appointment.