What Is This Stuff?

Greg Di

http://picasaweb.google.com/FineHome...ents/CedarDeck

I almost forgot what it was like to actually build a cedar deck. I cannot remember the last wood deck I built. This was laid with TC-2s.

I decided to do the picture frame border for no additional cost since it's so rare to do a wood deck these days. I wanted to have something for my book if nothing else.

We'll stain it next week.

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j_builder

Do I detect some sarcasm Doesn't that raw cedar smell so much better than that composite stuff when you cut it? Nice little low profile deck Greg...in and out of there.

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neolitic

Okay, so you weren't gonna 'splain about
the funky plastic pier thingy-boppers?

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redwood

Greg, I do 95% wood decks, out west.

One thing about the picture framing, if the wood is green (wet), those miters will look like crap in no time, unfortunately.

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Greg Di

I know....you give it the ole' college try.....

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Forry

My same thought when I saw it... good looking deck though!

If you leave the long point tight, and the short gappy, it comes out closer when it shrinks...

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Stone Mountain

x2. What IS that?

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Chris G

I want some of those plastic piers.

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Greg Di

Those Bison Deck Supports are slick. The HO was an archy who spec'd them and it was a pretty good idea. The old deck had 30 (yes, not a typo) concrete footings.

Stay tuned for some more details in PDB. I believe they are going to run an "On the Job" am I writing for them. I prolly shouldn't have spilled the beans.

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redwood

Those are "Bison" deck supports. They are height and slope adjustable.

Mark

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Jason Whipple

Um, I think it's the other way around. Wood shrinks inward from its sides.

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redwood

I agree with Jason, if cut the miters tight, you will end up with at bigger gap on the short side.

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Chris G

I don't understand?

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Double-A

Wood shrinks across the grain more than it does with the grain. That means the wood will shrink most across the heel of the miter, or the widest part of the miter (where there is the most cross grain), not at the points.

It will see the least amount of movement at the points (less wood there to shrink, in fact it tapers to nothing).

I think clampman had something on his site that showed some drawings and explained it well.

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curapa

So if you are picture framing a deck or mitering a 2x on top of a handrail do you go ahead and cut the long point loose and the heel tight or do you get it nice and tight for the HO's inspection? I could imagine the crazy looks I would get as I tried to explain my seemingly bad miters to the HO.

redwood

Of course we cut tight miters, but I rarely picture frame a wood deck for that reason.

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curapa

I dint picture frame my wood decks just because my 5/4 boards are always so crappy. No matter what grade I get or where I get it from there are always small bulges, usually by knots and the width varies sometimes more than 3/8" from board to board. PT SYP sucks. I stopped trying to make a budget PT deck more than what it is.

I wish the composite trend would become more popular here, I rarely get to use the stuff.

Double-A

That depends on the homeowner. When you sell this deck, you should point out the pitfalls of each design element. If you note this to the client, show them how and why this will happen, then they will most likely understand why the job doesn't look perfect from all angles when newly completed. All good things come to those that are willing to wait.

Get someone who's hosting their daughter's wedding in the back yard next weekend and you're gonna be cutting tight miters. If you get a married couple that will be there for a few years, then you might cut them loose at the heel.

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Tom R

If you really wanted to do it right (and were going to get paid for it), - - you would return to the job at some point after the short points retracted (at least a month later), - - and then router out for a finish-spline . . .

Making cuts in such a way that they'll be 'parallel' later would be fine, - - but by what force of nature are they going to pull themselves together??

And for those who aren't understanding, - - the wood shrinks a 'percentage-amount' in width, - - so the wider the wood at any certain point, - - the more the actual shrinkage-amount will be.

redwood

Tom, of course the problem with coming back and recutting the miters is that now you have a short board.

The best solution, of course, would to use seasoned lumber. Where can we find that?

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