Large double ended wood screws

[Andrew Mawson]

I need some >> LARGE

[Tabby]

If you only wanted one, I guess it might be practical to chop the head off a coach bolt and grind it down to give a 2nd pointy end. I guess you've got to find another way to connect them.

NT

[stuart noble]

You could try setting hex coach screw heads into the sleepers with resin, and using the other end to screw into the uprights.

[Tabby]

A lot easier to do it the other way round, screw in first, then resin the head(s).

NT

[Robin]

An idiot boy question (again) from me. Just out of interest, how would you use the double headed screws? I've so far totally failed to see how you could use more than one per upright since so far as I can see you have to rotate the upright (or the sleeper!) in order in order to tighten it.

(I ask in part 'cos the one time I did something similar I used dowel screws which were thread to take a nut - like

but of course that left the nuts exposed and visible.)

[DavidM]

How about some largish threaded rod (10-15mm). Most sheds stock it. Cut to length, drill a slightly undersized hole and put it 60-100mm into each side. Put the first end in buy using a couple of nuts and locking them up together, use a spanner to then screw into wood. In anything other than balsa wood it should hold quite well.

[Andrew Mawson]

knobs

Robin,

They need to be big and meaty as there will only be one up the centre of each upright. Hole drilled in sleeper and the upright, screw inserted in holes, upright rotated by large custom made wooden spanner. Handrail will stop them rotating.

AWEM

[Robin]

I think I see now, thanks.

[Andrew Mawson]

centre

You can buy metal brackets to do this job. The screw will not be strong enough, I think your posts. will split with any side loads. Or cut mortices into the sleepers.

Have you tried cutting numerous mortises in 50 year old well seasoned oak! These are unbeliveably hard oak sleepers.

AWEM

[dennis]

You could make pins from rebar and fix them with a foaming glue or resin.

[The Other Mike]

Never tried them in wood but two multi monti's welded together might work.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , The Other Mike writes

of the sleepers.

When I needed to extend an Oak gate post, I made up a template and drilled holes to take glued dowels.

regards

[bigplns]

how long are the 5"x5" timbers?

[stuart noble]

I did something similar using studding. Set both ends in 2 part filler so the holes didn't have to be 100% accurate

[Tim Lamb]

Weld some cut off coach bolts together?

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Tim Lamb writes

I should perhaps have said coach screws:-)

>

[Bob Minchin]

I bought concreting re-bar and cut it up to make locating dowels for a sleeper construction job - cut with the obligatory angle grinder naturally! Bob

[Andrew Mawson]

Good heavens this was a post I made YEARS ago. The solution that I adopted was to weld large coach coach screws into the centre of 100 mm plates which I bolted to the bridge oak sleepers (in rebates) I then screwed the handrail uprights onto the coach screws and installed the handrail. (This is curved bridge based on 10" x 6" RSJs that I had rolled to an arc). This worked splendidly until my builder took his 3 ton digger over it carrying a massive tree root ball of at least a ton. (Calculations for the bridge had been based on 2 ton max). The RSJs flexed a bit with the result that the coach bolts pulled loose in the end grain of the uprights and made the handrail wobbly. This I totally cured by welding up what were effectively long eyebolts, the threaded part of which went through the oak sleepers and were fixed with nuts and washers under the roadway, and the eye went flat against the upright through which I drilled a hole for a long bolt that picked up another such eyebolt on the other side. It is now massively rigid and grandchild proof :)

Andrew (the original poster of the question yonks ago !!!!! )

[stuart noble]

I wonder how that happened then?

[John Waterhouse]

replying to Andrew Mawson, John Waterhouse wrote: Hi Andrew, Did you ever manage to find a solution to this problem? I have some broken fence posts (4" x 4") which I wish to repair. I was thinking of having some large double ended wood screws made from hexagonal bar. One end would have a standard "clockwise" thread whilst the other would have an "anticlockwise" thread. ( Like the thread on left hand bicycle pedals except these will be double pointed wood screws of course). This way, the screws can be tightened with a spanner on the hexagonal bar in the middle. Hence the posts can be repaired without having to dismantle the fence. I need four but it will cost less per unit if more are made. How many do you need? Does anyone else need some? With kind regards, John