Used untreated railway sleeper OFFCUTS for woodturning etc...

Overview

Woodturning & art projects from reclaimed untreated railway sleeper offcuts
Whether we're talking about a piece of wood, a block of stone or simply a lump of clay, it's amazing how people can transform such basic materials into stunning objects of beauty. For many years our customers have created eye-catching objects through woodturning small offcuts of untreated wooden railway sleepers. Woodturning is an incredible skill that takes considerable patience, practice & perseverance, but the end product can be astonishing! Transforming a raw piece of old wood into a true work of art is wonderful. 

Our sections of used untreated railway sleeper offcuts come in various sizes that have come from reclaimed tropical hardwood railway sleepers, (including Jarrah, Azobe, Angelim Vermelho & Angelim Pedra). 

What can you create?
Bowls, cups, pens, candlesticks, tool handles, egg cups, lamps, rolling pins, cylindrical boxes, thimbles, chessmen, legs & spindles for furniture, spinning tops, newel posts, baseball bats, sculptures, urns, woodwind instruments, bracelets, spoons, drawer knobs, vase, bottle stoppers, pepper mills, Christmas ornaments, dibbler, honey dipper, pin cushions.... The list is endless!

A few examples of woodturning projects on the website:
Jules's woodturning from railway sleepers CLICK TO SEE
Mark's railway sleeper woodturning bowls support homeless project CLICK TO SEE
A bowl magically appears from an old chunk of railway sleeper CLICK TO SEE
Alan's bowl with new tropical hardwood railway sleepers CLICK TO SEE
Will Stewart's pen from a used Jarrah railway sleeper CLICK TO SEE

Collections of railway sleeper art & sculpture projects on the website:
Art projects with railway sleepers - CLICK TO SEE

Offcuts of NEW untreated tropical hardwood railway sleepers are available online
Full of amazing grain and enticing colours  HAVE A LOOK!

Extra Info

EXTRA INFORMATION

WHAT DELIVERY OPTIONS DO I HAVE?
You have two options, depending on which delivery option you choose at the checkout stage online, or when you telephone the office.

1) STANDARD DELIVERY - CUSTOMER TO OFFLOAD RAILWAY SLEEPERS
This is normally a quicker & cheaper means of delivery that generally covers 100% of the UK, providing you have a forklift or sufficient strong people to offload your railway sleepers. 
* DELIVERY TIMESCALE: You can choose any delivery day you want in advance within 2- 4 working days, Monday - Friday. Delivery will be between 9am & 5pm. You can choose, for a surcharge, a Saturday delivery.
* YOU are responsible for offloading the railway sleepers from the vehicle. The vehicle does NOT have a crane offload. If you do not have a forklift, you MUST have at least 2 or more strong people to manually offload. These timbers are too heavy for one person. The driver is NOT able to help you offload or carry materials into your house or garden. One exception! If the railway sleepers are 1.2m or less in length, the lorry driver CAN place the railway sleepers onto the pavement or road using the lorry tail lift and hand pallet truck.
* ACCESS: You must ensure that there is sufficient space for the lorry to access your road and property, and that there is sufficient area for you to safely offload. The vehicle is normally a rigid lorry which is about 10 metres long and about 2.6m wide (Imagine a full size bin lorry) It is crucial to tell us, when we contact you to arrange delivery, whether there are any delivery problems - e.g. a narrow road, cul de sac, cars parked in front of the property etc... An unsuccessful delivery will incur a further charge, often equal to the original haulage cost.

2) PREMIUM DELIVERY - THE RAILWAY SLEEPERS WILL BE OFFLOADED FOR YOU
This delivery charge is normally more expensive than the Standard delivery, but is essential if you order some heavy railway sleepers, and you haven't got a forklift, or sufficient strong people to help you offload. Having your railway sleepers placed on your drive is a perfect way of protecting your back and keeping your friends happy!
* DELIVERY TIMESCALE is generally within 1- 2 weeks, Monday - Friday, and between 8am & 6pm. Unfortunately you can't normally choose your own delivery day in advance, as the haulier will need to efficiently piece together a set of deliveries, according to which part of the UK they are driving to. Please let us know in advance if there are any delivery days you can't make. We will normally confirm the exact date a few days before.
* ACCESS: You must ensure that there is sufficient space for the lorry to access your road and property, and that there is enough area for the lorry to be safely offloaded. The vehicle is normally a rigid lorry which is about 10 metres long and about 2.6m wide (Imagine a full size bin lorry) It is crucial to tell us, when we contact you to arrange delivery, whether there are any access problems - e.g. a narrow road, cul de sac, cars parked in front of the property etc... An unsuccessful delivery will incur a further charge, often equal to the original haulage cost.

IS THERE A MINIMUM ORDER OF RAILWAY SLEEPERS?
No. It makes no difference. The cost to you is the same whether we deliver 1 railway sleeper or 10 railway sleepers... e.g. if the delivery cost to somewhere in the UK for 20 railway sleepers was for example £99 + Vat, then the delivery for 1 railway sleeper would cost the same. That's because our hauliers charge us according to how much lorry space the order takes up, so whether there is 1 railway sleeper on a pallet, or 20 railway sleepers on it, it makes no difference!

HOW DO WE WORK OUT THE DELIVERY COST?
The delivery charge depends on what type of railway sleeper you choose and where you live. If you go online and place the number of railway sleepers you are interested in into the shopping basket, and input your postcode, the website will calculate the delivery cost according to the number and length of the railway sleepers. If you play around with different lengths of railway sleepers, you will discover that 1.2m ones are the cheapest to have delivered, followed then by any sleeper up to 2.4m in length, and then finally the longer 2.6m, 3m and 3.6m ones. It's all about what space the railway sleepers take up on a lorry, and what the haulage companies then charge us.  Lots of different variables! If you order online, the delivery cost will be worked out automatically by a computer brain. If you order by telephone, the delivery cost will be calculated by a mere human being, who will chat with you whilst working it all out!

CLICK HERE for more answers to DELIVERY QUESTIONS

WHY ARE TROPICAL HARDWOOD RAILWAY SLEEPERS UNTREATED?
Dense, tight grained, hardwood railway sleepers, especially tropical timbers, are completely different to light, softwood railway sleepers which have to be treated with either creosote or pressure treatment to prevent them rotting and collapsing. Hardwood railway sleepers are much more durable and naturally longer lasting.

African Azobe railway sleepers, for example, are often used untreated by British Waterways under water, due to their natural preservative qualities. Jarrah, Karri, Mora, and Greenheart are likewise placed untreated on the railway track by Network Rail, and are expected to last for up to 100 years.

People often ask: 'Do I need to treat my tropical hardwood railway sleepers?'. Of course, you CAN apply a coat or two of wood preservative to them, and no doubt that would probably be beneficial, however it isn't essential, and most landscapers don't. Untreated tropical hardwood railway sleepers are popular with those wanting to keep clear of chemical treatments, or contamination, and wanting to use something that is naturally longer lasting, but with weathered, rustic character.