Originally posted by Brettski:
DONE DEAL
Green treated 2 x 6 x 8' and 16'. I'll plan for installation over Memorial Day...I hope. That'll give 'em some time to dry out a bit. In the meantime, they will stay packed up tight to see if that helps to alleviate twist and bow while they cure. -
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Time's up! It's been about 2-1/2 months since I banded up the bunk to begin the
cure experiment . I popped the bands today.
Out of 70 pc of 2 x 6 x 8', I rejected 19. Out of 35 pc of 2 x 6 x 16', I rejected 9. Here's how it shakes out.
The 8 footers are all cut in half at 48" long for the piers (a little long for the application; will be trimmed to length after installation). I sighted each of the 8' and tossed bad stuff to the side, cut the keepers in half, and loaded them onto the trailer. It seemed that the top row had the most rejects. I worked with boards that show reasonable bow (rainbow when they are flat), but rejected twist or excessive camber (banana). Total reject for 8' stock is 27%. (about 5 were unbelieveable!)
The 16 footers are used full length. I am a bit more tolerant of twist and camber because there is enough mass for me to "push it around". An unusual flaw that was prominent with 16' was an up/down waviness of the flatness over the length. This can also be tolerated a little since I can "bull" them a little, but there were a couple that looked like a kiddie roller coaster. Total reject for 16' stock is 26%.
I have enough short pc to complete the launch dock and do about 1/2 the beach dock. I am 3 pc short of the 16' stock required to do the deck at the end of the launch dock; will try to work with 3 of the best rejects to finish. Bottom line: I am confident of completing the launch dock and deck and putting a dent in the beach dock. The launch dock/deck is far more important at this point of development.
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Before I summarize my experiment, I should explain my motives. I plan to use hidden decking fasteners to hold the decking down. I want to avoid surface fasteners like screws and nails. I am using
Tiger Claw TC2 stainless steel fasteners . I wanted to not only allow the wet PT lumber to shrink before installation, but also identify "twisters and benders" BEFORE I install them. I don't hold alot of hope that these fasteners will hold back a twisting 2 x 6. So, for those of you DIY deck builders, here is my opinion of anal retentive air cure preparation of P-T lumber before installation.
Would I do it that way again? Yes, but I believe that laying them out on a flat surface to cure would likely do as well. Holding them in a tight bundle does not, IMHO, affect them if they are planning to move. In essence, my cure experiment worked in that it allowed them to dry out some, but had little effect of "forcing" them to remain straight. I would not just pack them up in a tight bundle without spacers and expect decent, consistent drying. The reject rate is about 25%. If you need 75 arrows, buy 100 and save the receipt.
