The Dylan Group team was asked to fabricate and manufacture a bespoke Robinia Timber Play Den / Structure for an Infants School in Bristol. We worked closely with the teachers and staff on the specifications combined with some sketches and ideas from the school themselves. The bespoke Robinia Timber Play Den / Structure itself, was built by our skilled craftsman at our yard and then transported to site and installed by our sister company Playsafe Playgrounds Ltd. As the weather has been somewhat adverse recently (especially in the West Country) they have yet to install the saftey surfacing around the magnificent unit. The school themselves are thrilled with the results and the children at the school are looking forwards to playing on the Play Den in the very near future.

The Bespoke Robinia Timber Play Den is fabricated and crafted from Robinia Timber Wood. The Robinia timber tree (commonly known as the Black Locust and less commonly False Acacia) is indigenous to the south-eastern region of the USA. It is the most frequently cultivated hardwood deciduous tree in the world and is generally planted with the aim to improve the soils nitrogen levels as well as to prevent soil erosion. The physical planting of Robinia forests however with the sole purpose to produce wood exists mainly in south-eastern Europe mainly being Hungary and Romania.

The wood of the Robinia tree possesses excellent properties, especially with a high natural resistance to rot and decay. It is a medium-sized tree that is 12m to 25m (maximum 30m) high and has a diameter of 30-60 cm. The wood that is free of knots is relatively short and ranges from around 2m to 6m in length.

The sap of the Robinia is often white to a light yellow and is very narrow in older trees. The heart wood is yellow colour to olive-green to light brown when fresh and with the affect of light will darken to a more golden brown or light brown in colour.

The wood from the Robinia tree is heavy, hard and dense more so then oak or chestnut. It is also hard to split, tough but flexible and is easy to bend similar to ash or hickory. Once the timber has been seasoned, the wood will provide high stability. As the Robinia is straight grained, it is easy to work on with all hand and machining tools, it is also very easy to carve and turn. The chamfered ends of the wood are very durable; planed surfaces are dense and smooth and easy to work on further. The heartwood of the Robinia possesses a natural resistance to rot & decay as well as fungi and insects which means it is one of only a few kinds of trees growing in Europe to possess such qualities.