Why The Marks On PT Doug Fir?

dkillianjr

Hey guys, I noticed some of you use PT doug fir lumber and it all has marks on the sides.
Why is that, does it serve a purpose? I figured it didn't and was just part of the pressure treating or milling process. All we get around here is SYP and its smooth.


Dave

neolitic

It's to help the treating
penetrate, as fir doesn't
absorb it as well as SYP.

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

dkillianjr

Thanks neo, I figured it had something to do with something like that. Learn something new every day


Dave

BuiltByMAC

Neo's got it, the cleats actually pressure inject the chemical into the top 1/8" - 1/4" of the board. If you cut a PT hem-fir, you'll only see the outer edge coated in chemical. SYP does a much better job of absorbing the chemical throughout the board (also why it's more prone to major warpage as it dries out).

Mac

deckman22

Mac, it does that all on it's lonesome, no chemical needed. You NW boys probably never see SYP.

__________________
Deckman
www.alscustomdecks.com

BuiltByMAC

Damn, there I go again, thinking! You're right, I've never seen SYP, never worked with it, nothing. I had high hopes of getting back east this summer and working on a deck w/ Bonesaw in between trips to the beach but that got put on the back burner...I couldn't figure out how to take a couple of weeks off and get everything here covered!

Mac

deckman22

Well that makes us even, I've never seen that treated fir you all use up there. Somehow I've got it in my mind it's lighter in weight than TYP, kinda like cedar. Believe me you ain't missing anything with the TYP, usually wet heavy wood. It's prone to giving some nasty splinters too.

__________________
Deckman
www.alscustomdecks.com

dkillianjr

O ok I just keep learning new stuff I didn't realize that the dour fir wasnt treated all the way through. Thats why I see you guys using that end cut chemical on the end grain. Around here I have never seen anyone coat the ends.


Dave

neolitic

Haven't seen me.
I use Cuprinol #10 on cuts in the ground,
post tops, seat cuts and tread cuts
on stringers.

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

dkillianjr

Hey neo, I will have to look into that stuff I have never seen it around here. I don't do a whole lot of decks, but I wouldnt mind looking it. I am assuming you get it from your local yard?

Its funny, here we are so behind the times when it comes to any kind of construction, building codes, ect. I learned so much from just this site alone that I had never seen before!


Dave

wackman

It's definitely not as light as Cedar, and if you get a splinter from one of them it'll infect something fierce cause of the chemical. That end cut solution causes permanent eye and vision problems if it gets in your eye. Not really the funnest stuff to work with.

__________________
"I only bother remembering things that I can't easily look up." Albert Einstein

neolitic

Sherwin-Williams, lumber yards,
hardware stores,...
"Cuprino; #10 Green Wood Preservative"
Has been around as long as I
can remember.
http://www.cuprinol.com/

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

dkillianjr

Alright sounds good neo, I'm always up for something new


Dave

BuiltByMAC

Well, here's a question for the East/South coasters - what's the do-ability of moving around a 6x6x20 TYP by yourself?

I'm learning all kinds of stuff tonight...it's a good night!

Mac

DecksEtc

That depends on how bad you want a hernia

orson

Mac,

You wouldn't know until you tried it. You can pick up one piece of PT SYP and then pick up the next board of the exact same size and it weighs more than twice as much as the last one.

I think a 6x6x20 is right around the limits of possibility for a person of average build, at least until you hit that super heavy one.

__________________
Lancaster Remodeling Contractor - Lancaster Remodeling
Kitchen & Bath Remodeling PA- Bathroom Remodeling Lancaster PA
Custom Kitchen Remodeling PA - Ruby Construction FaceBook-Lancaster Bathroom Remodeling

Greg Di

I am convinced they store some of the 2x10s I get in the bottom of a lake sometimes. They can be so heavy at times that it really becomes unpleasant.

Yet, I'll get an odd one that is feather light. Makes you wonder....

__________________
Your source for:
BergenDECKS.com ::: Decks • Porches • Railings • Pergolas in Bergen County New Jersey
Remodeling and Home Improvements in Bergen County | EPA Approved Lead-Safe Contractor
Techno Metal Post ::: Residential, Commercial and Industrial Helical foundation piles

Follow us on: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

neolitic

Possible? I guess.
Pleasant?
A normal guy would need some
clever use of physics and mechanical
advantage.
14' is where I draw the line...
and not that many in a day.
It probably weighs at least
a third more than DF when
it's fresh and wet.

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

neolitic

Handy-dandy calculator says....
that twenty footer would be
between 180 and 210 pounds.
Add that to the awkward factor,
and you be the judge.

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

deckman22

You better be a big bad mother to do that. 2 man job for most.

I did have a guy work for me that threw a 16'er on his shoulder & carry it down the hill. Not for me tho.

Biggest 6x's I ever installed were 32'ers, doug fir, they were beast. Those took 3 guys.

__________________
Deckman
www.alscustomdecks.com