Not the quality of most of the stuff in this group.
I have a garden gate, mounted to a cinder block fence by a 2X4, probably Douglas fir. It has split where the mounting bolts go through.
Temporarily, it is screwed and glued.
For a longer lasting repair, should I look for an Oak 2X4, ash, something else?
Thanks
For an outside application red oak and or ash probably will rot rather quickly. I would suggest cedar and or PT lumber.
How can I make it stronger so that it doesn't just split again?
Use Ipe.
-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA
Nothing beat a great piece of ash..... (sorry, I could not resist...)
Interesting idea. I looked at some web sites regarding Ipe, the cost for the board wouldn't be too bad, shipping one board might be excessive.
One problem as I see it, it must be a crime against nature to paint Ipe, so one board would look different from the rest. I would need to redo the gate all in Ipe, which again is something I could do, but then the gate would look out of place with the rest of the house.
This could get out of hand.
I agree, but at my age it's more of a case of "what fir?"
I would almost bet that it was slightly loose before it split. The movement serves to let the forces of movement build, until it goes to the point where it stops, with more force.
Drill the hole for the hold down bolts about a quarter inch too big, so if (when) it shrinks, it will not put pressure on the sides of the hole. Use very big washers to spread the load over a wider area. Check the bolt tightness every couple wheeks for the first 6 months, then at the change of the seasons. Use pressure treated.
On Sun, 05 Oct 2003 02:16:44 GMT, Charles pixelated:
Yeah, I'm with solarman.
I can't resist a great piece of ash with wet fur, either.
.-. Life is short. Eat dessert first! ---
Why not? As long as you have wood.
Correction: a great piece of ash is *MUCH*BETTER* than 'nothing'.
of course, a ham sandwich is also better than complete happiness. Proof:
1) nothing is better than complete happiness 2) a ham sandwich is definitely better than nothing. 3) ergo, a ham sandwich is better than complete happiness.
Since it is a cinder block fence, get a steel plate, 3/16" or 1/4" thick and from 2"-3" wide. Mount the plate to the cinder block. Drill holes where the hinge bolts need to enter. Weld a suitable nut to the plate. Take your choice of lumber, drill holes so that the bolts can penetrate appropriately. Route out the back of the board so that it conceals the steel. The board is no longer structural but decorative.
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