Product Specification and Options

Know your product before you order

For Timber Build and Timber Build - BM (Building Materials) brand products

Look up the sizing and terminology for each Timber Build and Timber Build - BM product, then compare the wood, finish and installation options. When available, Product Options appear next to the product. This is especially useful when requesting custom work. Please give us a call if you need further clarification.

If an option is not listed for the product you want, we can apply it through our custom-work process. We can customize an existing product, work from your blueprint or hand sketch, or help design something specifically for your project.

We also resell products from other manufacturers. Their specifications and options are set by each manufacturer and are not covered by this guide. Check the product page, or call us with questions.

• Product Specifications
• Wood & Appearance
• Surface Finishes
• Installation
• Sizing & Assembly

Choose a Timber Build product guide to review its sizing, terminology and options.

• Wood BracketsSizing, brace details & applications
• Knee BracesProjection, height & brace profiles
• CorbelsProfiles, dimensions & options
• Gable BracketsSpan, roof pitch & fitting
• Rafter TailsProfiles, sizes & terminology

Guides open in a drawer, so you keep your place on this page.

Choose the wood, solid or engineered, and how closely its natural character is matched.

• Wood Species

  Western Red Cedar is our default wood species. We also offer more than 20 softwood and hardwood options, including Douglas Fir, White Pine, Oak and Poplar.

  Explore Wood Species

• Appearance Selection

  • Standard Selection: Included with every standard product. Ideal if you plan to paint or appreciate natural wood variation.
  • Paint Grade: A custom-work option with joined wood pieces and repaired imperfections for a smooth, paintable surface.
  • Color Match Selection: A premium custom service that closely matches wood tones for a cohesive stained look, especially with Western Red Cedar.
  View Appearance Options
• E

  Engineered Western Red Cedar

  Laminated, finger-jointed Western Red Cedar. Expect visible joints; talk with us about the paint or stain finish you plan to use.

  On product photos, an E under the finish label marks an engineered product.

  Timber Build - BMEngineered boards and engineered columns.

Timber finish is the look and feel of the finished product. The codes match the finish shown in product options and the labels on product photos.

• S

  Smooth

  Our most popular finish, with a smooth, even surface for painting or staining. Mill-cut timbers are dressed, filled as needed and sanded to 100 grit, with eased corners.

  Available onAll standard products and all custom work.

  View Smooth Finish
• S4S

  Surfaced Four Sides

  Each board is milled on all four faces and edges for clean, planed surfaces, consistent thickness, a straight profile and square edges.

  Appearance noteNo wood filler, putty or surface sanding is applied. Natural grain variation, knots and minor imperfections are normal for an S4S finish.

  Timber Build - BMWestern Red Cedar and Douglas Fir timbers, and engineered columns.

• S1S2EE

  Surfaced One Side, Two Edges

  One face and both edges are planed for a clean, consistent board. The back face is not surfaced.

  Timber Build - BMEngineered Western Red Cedar boards, 1x4 through 1x16.

• RS

  Rough Sawn

  A natural look and feel that suits a wide variety of interiors and exteriors. Mill-cut timbers are resawn and roughed by hand, with eased corners.

  Available onSelected Wood Brackets, Wood Knee Braces, Wood Corbels, Rafter Tails, Gable Brackets, Window Shutters, Screen Doors, Fireplace Mantels and all custom work.

  Timber Build - BMWestern Red Cedar and Douglas Fir timbers, engineered boards and engineered columns.

  View Rough Sawn Finish
• TR

  True Rough

  Keeps the original thickness and character of the timber as it arrives from the sawmill, for a rugged, natural look. Pairs well with rough columns, beams and other rough cedar products.

  Available onAll custom work using 4", 6", 8", 10" and 12" timber thicknesses.

  Timber Build - BMWestern Red Cedar timbers.

  View True Rough Finish
• RU

  Rustic

  Starts as a brushed rough finish, then goes through a labor-intensive distressing process that brings out the grain, knots and cracks for an old-fashioned appearance.

  Available onSelected Wood Corbels, Rafter Tails, Fireplace Mantels and all custom work.

  View Rustic Finish

Options that make mounting easier and cleaner.

• Keyhole Kit Installed

  For $6.99, the kit includes a keyhole notch in your selected product, two Keyhole Mounting Plates and two Self-Drilling Drywall Anchor SP anchors.

  Available onSelected Corbels and custom work.

  Please note: The notch and keyhole are always placed on the height side. Standard products do not include a keyhole notch.

  View Keyhole Kit
  Mounting Plates Drywall Anchors

• Countersink

  A hole cut into the height member, sized and positioned for the product. Once the head of a countersunk bolt or screw sits 1/4" below the surface, a wood plug fills the hole flush with the surface.

  Available onSelected products and all custom work.

  View Countersink Shop Wood Plugs

• Mounting Board

  A mounting board is recommended for simpler installation and overall durability, rather than for visual effect.

How dimensions, roof slope and assembly are described.

• Roof Pitch

  Roof pitch describes the slope of a roof as rise over run: how many inches the roof rises for every 12 inches of horizontal distance.

  Our 8-foot Roof Pitch Chart includes a sample degree angle to help explain roof slope and dimensions.

  View Roof Pitch Chart

• Timber Thickness

  When facing a Gable Bracket, its thickness is the front-to-back dimension.

• Gable Bracket Assembled

  • Assembled: Ready for installation and most likely delivered by freight carrier.
  • Unassembled: Prepared for assembly with Festool Dominos, with pre-drilled holes and Dominos provided.