Screen Porch Project With "Screen Tight"

Tinstaafl

Most guys I know would call that way overkill, but I like it.

When installing the screen and spline, you can cut the spline at the end with a utility knife. You can also spaz out and knick the screen while doing so. I use a small pair of electronics dykes (sidecutters).

basswood

Might seem like overkill, but if you cut base and cap together... you have less cutting to do (besides the other benefits). The zero clearance setup is great for accurate cutting of any thin material or small moldings.

I'm screening a couple dozen openings (if you count the transoms), so a good system helps.

naptown CR

Actually wood rot is caused by a bacteria that only lives in wood with a moisture content between I think its 20-30% below that moisture content it cant live and above that it cant live. Next time you are at a marina with old pilings look at where they rotted off it is always just above the waterline.

basswood

Actually wood rot is not caused by bacteria, but by fungi.

"Dry wood won't decay - take that to the bank. If you add water to dry wood, it goes to satisfy need of walls, which absorb water. Up to moisture content of 28% (that's dry weight basis, so 28 g water per 100 g dry wood), added water goes into wall. Above that, you get free water in the lumens. That point is called fiber saturation point. Decay fungi require free water. So wood must be above FSP to decay. For practical purposes, a value of 20% is used as a cutoff, leaving a margin for error. Thus, processors and users should keep wood below 20% moisture content to avoid decay."

http://www.forestpathology.org/decay.html

basswood

My methods of cutting "Screen Tight" are really helpful with the 3-1/2" stock. With the 1-1/2" stock, out of square ends are not as big a deal, for instance.

Here are a few more tips. The base is to be attached within 2" of the ends. After cutting to length, new screw slots often need to be cut at the ends. This can be done very quickly with a Unibit drilling "snakebites" (pairs of holes), then connect the holes with a utility knife:

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naptown CR

I will give you the fungus

read this however regarding the saturated wood part of my equation.

Underwater logging is possible because many submerged trees and logs are barely affected by their decades of submersion. Lake and river water is often too cold and too deficient in oxygen for decay organisms to survive. (Ironically, the above-water portion of trees often must be discarded due to degradation by sunlight and microorganisms.)
Studies of logs raised from Lake Superior show slight color changes, but "the properties are virtually the same as modern timber," says Terry Mace, who has studied underwater log retrieval for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. And although sugars have leached from the Lake Superior logs, this effectively seasons the wood, making it highly desirable for use in musical instruments.
It's hard to pinpoint how many trees are available for underwater logging. Some underwater logs were sunk or otherwise lost during log drives on rivers, but the majority came from forests submerged during the building of dams. The number of large dams--those more than 15 meters high--has increased nearly sevenfold since 1950, reported the World Resources Institute in World Resources 2000-2001. And while dam building has decreased sharply in developed countries due to environmental considerations and a lack of good sites, it does continue elsewhere. Godsall estimates that about 35,000 square kilometers of forest worldwide have already been submerged by dams. In British Columbia alone, he says, about 20 million trees lay underwater.
Although all that submerged timber seems like a waste, Godsall says the schedule and economics of dam building are to blame--the trees are considered expendable, and the costs of removing them are too high. Further, he says, "if you were to clear two hundred square miles of forest, where would it go? Could you cut it economically? Cost-benefit analyses done time and time again, [in Canada], in the States, in Russia, in Brazil, or Southeast Asia focus on [generation of] electricity, not logs, and the result is flooded forests."

http://www.ehponline.org/members/200...novations.html

basswood

That is true, but we are talking about above-grade wood here on porches or fences or siding... so no submersion to exclude oxygen.

So the key is keeping it dry enough.

naptown CR

This is what I was refering to in this application keepind dry is key.
What about running a dado in the bottom of the panels where they will sit in th openings and inserting a plastic spline to keep the wood off the base and keep the panel insect tight Just a thought

basswood

Here are a couple of pics of the screens installed... more later:

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Tinstaafl

Light and airy, while the screens are kept reasonably sized so wind load doesn't tear them (been there, fought that battle). Looking good!