The Timber We Use

The Timber We Use

Timber

For our log cabins we only use a slow grown and hardy Spruce. Spruce is useful as a building

material, commonly referred to by several different names including spruce, pine or fir collectively known as white-wood. Spruce wood is used for  number of purposes, varying from general construction work to highly specialised uses in wooden aircraft. The Wright brothers' first aircraft, the Flyer, was built of spruce.

The Spruce we use is a slow grown variety from near the Arctic circle, meaning that it is tougher and more resistant to warping and splitting. Being natural product it still does get the occasional warp or split but not the the severity of the faster grown alternate timbers.

Pulpwood

Spruce is one of the most important timbers for paper uses. It has long fibres which bind together to make strong paper. The fibres are thin walled and collapse to thin bands upon drying. Spruces are commonly used in mechanical pulping as they are easily bleached, which can be a problem if the log cabin is left untreated or treated with a clear stain resulting in sun bleaching as it does not offer much UV protection. 

Food and Medicine

The fresh shoots from a spruce tree are a natural source of vitamin C. Captain James Cook made alcoholic sugar-based spruce beer during his sea voyages in order to prevent scurvy in his crew. The

leaves and branches, or the essential oils, can be used to brew spruce beer.

The tips from the needles can be used to make spruce tip syrup. In survival situations spruce needles can be directly ingested or boiled into a tea. This replaces large amounts of vitamin C. Also, water is stored in a spruce's needles, providing an alternative means of hydration. Spruce can be used as a preventive measure for scurvy in an environment where meat is the only prominent food source.

Tonewood

Wood used in soundboards for many musical instruments, including guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, and the soundboard at the heart of a piano and the harp are know as tonewoods. Spruce is the standard material for these instruments and for this purpose can be referred to as a tonewood.

Other Uses

The resin was used in the manufacture of pitch in the past; the scientific name Picea is generally thought to be derived from Latin pix, pitch. Spruces are also popular ornamental trees in horticulture, admired for their evergreen, symmetrical narrow-conic growth habit. For the same reason, some are also extensively used as Christmas trees.

To see our full range of log cabins products please head over to our website which is www.lillevilla.co.uk and find that extra space just for you. Whether that be a toys and gadgets haven or a peaceful and serene retreat.

Email: ben@lillevilla.co.uk
           info@lillevilla.co.uk

Phone Number: 01245 400202