When a project calls for a 12 foot box beam, finding the right reclaimed material is one challenge.
When it calls for 30, 40, or even more feet, the process becomes something entirely different.
At The Box Beam Collection, we have never approached our beams around a standard list of lengths. Every box beam is custom made for the project, and over the years that has given our craftsmen the opportunity to build some truly remarkable pieces.
We've crafted reclaimed wood box beams reaching 40 feet in length and beyond.
And sometimes, when the right reclaimed material finds its way into our shop, we can create something even more special: a beam with a single continuous wood face stretching from one end to the other.
A 33 Foot Reclaimed Oak Box Beam in the Making
One of our most recent projects started with an incredible piece of resawn reclaimed oak measuring approximately 33 feet in length.
Martin, one of our longtime box beam craftsmen, has been leading our team through the build from the preparation of the original panels through the final stages of assembly.
At this length, the small details become even more important.
The reclaimed oak panels are shaped and prepared, engineered onto a stable foundation, carefully refined, and eventually brought together to create the finished box beam.
Throughout the process, Martin and our team continually inspect the material and make adjustments by hand. Everything from the grain along the face to the way the corners come together matters when the goal is for a 33 foot hollow box beam to carry the presence of a solid reclaimed timber.
And this entire beam is being built right here in our Anaheim, California facility.
Can a 33 Foot Box Beam Really Have One Continuous Wood Face?
Yes, when the right material is available.
One of the most beautiful parts of this particular beam is its continuous resawn oak face.
Rather than joining several shorter sections together across its length, we were able to work with a reclaimed oak panel long enough to carry continuously across the beam.
That means the grain, texture, and natural variation of the reclaimed oak can travel from one end to the other without an added length seam interrupting the face.
But there is an important detail here.
Reclaimed material determines what is possible.
We aren't producing new boards to whatever length we need. We are working with wood that already has a history, and exceptionally long reclaimed timbers aren't always available.
A project requiring a single continuous 30, 35, or 40 foot face depends on whether reclaimed material of the necessary length, condition, character, and dimensions is available at the time of the project.
That's something our team evaluates when planning each custom beam.
What Happens When One Continuous Piece Isn't Available?
A beautiful long box beam does not require a single uninterrupted piece of wood.
When a beam needs to extend beyond the available length of the reclaimed material, our craftsmen can join carefully selected pieces together.
This is where material selection and craftsmanship become especially important.
Rather than treating the joint as something separate from the wood, our team looks at the grain, color, texture, saw marks, checking, and natural character of the surrounding material.
The joint can then be worked into the beam so it feels natural alongside the characteristics already present in reclaimed timber.
Reclaimed wood isn't perfectly uniform, and we don't want it to be.
Its variations are part of what give the material its beauty. A thoughtfully placed joint can live naturally within those variations without taking away from the scale or character of the finished beam.
From across the room, your attention should go to the beam itself.
We've Built Reclaimed Box Beams Over 40 Feet Long
The 33 foot resawn oak beam currently moving through our shop isn't the longest we've built.
Over the years, our craftsmen have produced custom reclaimed wood box beams reaching 40 feet and longer.
Projects at this scale require planning from the beginning.
Available reclaimed material has to be evaluated. The construction of the beam has to account for its dimensions. The individual faces need to work together. The finished beam also has to eventually leave our facility, travel to the project, and be installed in its new home.
That's why we don't think about oversized beams as simply making a normal box beam longer.
Each one is its own project.
Why Choose a Box Beam for Longer Spans?
Finding a solid reclaimed timber with the exact length, width, height, texture, and character required for a large architectural project can be difficult.
And as solid timbers become larger, their weight becomes another major consideration.
A custom box beam gives architects, designers, builders, and homeowners more flexibility.
The hollow construction can provide the scale and presence of a massive solid reclaimed timber while reducing weight and allowing the dimensions to be designed around the space.
It can also make it possible to conceal structural elements already present in the home.
Most importantly, the surfaces you see are still real reclaimed wood.
The nail holes are real.
The checking is real.
The grain is real.
The texture is real.
And the history belongs to the timber itself.
Every Large Box Beam Starts With the Material
When someone asks us, "How long can you make my box beam?" our first question isn't simply about a number.
We look at the project.
What dimensions are needed?
What reclaimed texture is being used?
How many faces will be visible?
Does the project call for continuous faces?
What reclaimed material do we have available that can tell that story?
Sometimes that leads us to an extraordinary 33 foot piece of reclaimed oak that can remain continuous from end to end.
Other times, our craftsmen bring multiple pieces together and carefully work the joints into the natural character of the wood.
Both can become beautiful beams.
The difference is understanding the material you're starting with and knowing how to work with what generations of history have already given you.
Crafted in Anaheim From Start to Finish
Large or small, every Box Beam Collection beam moves through our Anaheim facility from the first stages of production through final inspection.
Our reclaimed material is prepared here.
The panels are shaped here.
The beams are engineered and assembled here.
The details are finished here.
And the completed beam is inspected here.
For our current 33 foot resawn reclaimed oak beam, Martin has been there throughout the process, leading the team as a remarkable piece of reclaimed material slowly takes the form of a finished architectural beam.
Soon, it will leave our shop and become part of a completely different space.
But the history in the wood goes with it.
How Big Can We Make Your Box Beam?
We've built reclaimed wood box beams more than 40 feet long, but there isn't a single number that defines what we can create.
Every project begins with its dimensions, its architecture, and the reclaimed material available to bring it to life.
If your project calls for an oversized or unusually long reclaimed wood box beam, talk with our team about what you're trying to create.
We'll start with the material and take it from there.
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