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Hi all
I finally managed to build last september my dock without spending too much.
One day of work with a buddy.
The planks have been treated with boiled linseed oil and then I've installed the feeder.
The logs are not treated chestnut but will last 20 years at least.
Total cost about 350 euros (about 425 USD).
Next spring I think I'll put a pair of side rails for safety.
It is not beautiful but it does his job.
Now it has a ramp of dirt grass covered that reaches the same level as the dock.

PS I know. Next time, safety first.
















[img]https://i.imgur.com/8TIaK6s.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/UByI0Yw.jpg[/img]

It sure looks beautiful to me. Very nice job.

Looks great, but be aware that linseed oil is food for mildew, like most plant-based oils.

Looks good......I like the way you used that trackhoe.

I like it

Thank you all.
RAH, about the boiled linseed oil, diluted with 1: 1 turpentine, is used as a natural wood impregnating agent, also for floors. It penetrates into the pores of the wood filling and polymerizing it forms a sort of protective film resistant to UV rays and atmospheric agents. Therefore it is very suitable for the treatment of wood outdoors.
For these reasons I don t think mildews would like it. It is not a simple vegetable oil like olive oil, but it is an oil called "siccative" like tung. In any case, only the exposed boards have been impregnated and they are difficult to suffer from humidity stagnation.

I like your style.

X braces in the middle are a nice stabilizing touch.

Just a caution based on experience.

Have you had mildew on outdoor wood treated with boiled linseed oil?
Please tell me more about it. I ve never heard it.
Maybe different mounting and/or climate?
How did you manage it then?

Thank you snrub.
Infact those X braces provide excellent stability to the whole structure. You can jump on it but it does not move a millimeter.

Sounds like you used what we yanks would know as BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil).

Used for a finish on rifle stocks for a few centuries or more here.

Here is an excerpt from the CMP on its us by the US Armed Forces.

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From the Trapdoor Springfield 45/70 era through the end of the M-14 era, the essential nature of manufacturer applied wood finishes included linseed oil, tung oil, boiled linseed oil, and what might be called boiled tung oil. While used by the Armed Forces of the United States, the rifles were usually cleaned and protected by the soldiers, sailors, and Marines using boiled linseed oil.
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If if it kept M1's from rotting away in the jungles of WWII it can't be all bad.

Exactly!
Thank you Matt!

Google "linseed" + "mildew" and see what you find. Best of luck!

Beautiful dock Filippo!

For what it's worth, I've used boiled linseed oil on several things - antiques, farm machinery, and wood projects (indoor and out) and haven't had any mildew issues. However, that's not to say it can't happen as RAH states. I have read about it being an issue with straight linseed oil. I believe the difference is that boiled doesn't mean "cooked" or "heated", it just means that dryers or thinning chemicals are added to it. Regular linseed oil takes months to dry in most applications where BLO dries and hardens much quicker. Up here in Iowa old timers have been treating their tractors, implements, and the underbodies of vehicles with it for decades to prevent rust.

RAH I ve just read some of the pages from google search of linseed oil+mildew. I think they all talk about the �raw� one, not the boiled. However I will keep the dock controlled and thank you to have shared your experience.

Dam�dWaters I don t think the BLO has chemicals added. I think it s normal linseed oil simply heated (in a specific way of course) to prepolymeryze it. So it becomes more viscous and dries faster when applied.

That made my day complete!

Looks good to me - also for 425 bucks how can you go wrong really? Are you happy with it is all that really matters? I'd fish and swim off it any day.

I think this is the first time I have heard of Chestnut wood being used for a dock.

Here is very common to use chestnut wood for external and long-lasting uses as containment of slopes, reinforcements for the banks of channels etc.
I never even heard of someone who used it to make a dock here too, but I wanted to try and for now I'm very happy of it.
It is still stable and perfect as the first day, so only time will tell if it will be a successful experiment or not.

Yeah! For now the only sure and immediate result is saving