What is most commonly used as lumber for timber trusses is either Southern Yellow Pine or Douglas Fir. There are plusses and minuses to both types of wood and like colors of paint, it is up to the owner's taste. Normally we can get longer timber (up to 28 feet) in Douglas Fir fairly easily. The large Southern Yellow Pine timbers are usually 10 feet and shorter in size. It is a factor of the types and sizes of trees and the mill equipment. Most of the time customers prefer a planed surface, or as lumbermen say S4S (surfaced on all four sides). This planing of the surface produces a uniform size versus the rough size. For information purposes, a 6X6 is 5-1/2" X 7-1/4" and a 12X12 is actually 11-1/4" X 11-1/4". We also use glue laminated beams, again either made from SYP or Douglas Fir. Gluelams have a different look and have the luxury of being able to engineer and receive the product quickly. We can also use other wood types in timber truss manufacturing, although the lumber has to be available and able to be engineered. Over 80% of our jobs are Douglas Fir, the balance being Southern Yellow Pine. Again, it is strictly a choice of the owner and the architect.
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