How Do You Make These Cuts In The Field...Or Don't You?

[DerbyDad03]

I recently took a walk through a conservation area in upstate NY. The following boardwalk zigged and zagged through the area, creating a loop about 1/2 mile. The curves were of various radii, some fairly sharp, some more sweeping.

At every curve, and I mean every one, the boards were tapered to fit, sometimes just a few, sometimes a dozen or more. If you zoom in on this image, you'll see about 8 tapered boards in the center, and then a few more to left near the posts that support the railings. The entire boardwalk is built like this.

In addition, at each double post, the floorboards are notched to fit tightly around the uprights. This notches are cut at all different angles, whatever it took to get them tight around the posts.

I can't imagine that these cuts were made one by one, in the field, by a person with a tape measure, a straight edge, and a circular saw.

Perhaps there is a computer program, which lays out each cut, numbers each board, etc. so that the boardwalk is put together in the field based on a printed plan? Thousands of boards, all individually cut by a CNC machine? Gotta be done like that, right?

Even so, getting them this tight out in the field, the wet marshland in fact, even if created and cut by a computer, is pretty damn amazing.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Maybe a portable table saw. Looks very well done. I guess you can walk back to the shop and do a few at a time but that would take forever.

I'd like to take the walk though. Nice area.

[J. Clarke]

My Dad would have done that with a handsaw, hammer, and chisel.

[dpb]

The cutout around the post shows the saw marks of the end cuts overcut the cross cut just a little. Since it's Trex or similar, almost certainly a circular saw was used w/ carbide blade--the age makes it look like might have been a little early for battery powered so probably had a generator along with them would be my guess.

The tapered cuts a doable; whether there was a shop plan and then erected on site of just a set of guide markers and built to follow is impossible to tell...as another noted, a job site saw table is sufficient. I noted they went to the trouble to round over the edges to match the original profile or just rounded them all the same which is a nice touch. Didn't use SS fasteners, though; whether they were all galvanized and just failing or some look like could have been ordinary bright commons...

Whoever built it did a nice job but I think it was just hand work. Not difficult, just time-consuming. Dunno that area so no idea--many of those kinds of places have volunteer labor for such projects.

[Sonny]

On Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 8:02:09 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:

For any reasonable contractor, setting up shop in the field is common place , easy enough with portable generators.

For a known trapezoid dimension, the tapered floor boards can easily be fab ricated in the shop. Should the installation of the posts in the field be off a bit, then only one or two boards need be modified, again, not too dif ficult. A crew who knows what they're doing, similarly as an efficient cre w of roofers, can easily accomplish the task.

Again, doing this in the field is not difficult with a circ saw and/or hand saw.

The hardest part of the job might be carrying the boards the half mile dist ance.

Sonny

[hubops]

I'm guessing that the decking was a picnic - after the bush-whacking swamp-stomping rock-wracking work involved in setting all the support posts ! John T.

[dpb]

On 12/20/2019 7:25 AM, Sonny wrote: ...

I've never used Trex, but I'd guess all handsaw would get painful... :) Altho I don't know just how hard it actually is, I'm betting it would dull blade pretty quickly! :)

Looks big enough to bring the Gator along behind...

[Clare Snyder]

The boardwalk at the Oliphant Fels on the lower Bruce is similar, although not quite as well done. I believe it was all done on-site by volunteers. All done in PT lumber and the edges not rounded over.

[Sonny]

For a moment I had thought about the pulling of a small trailer behind the 4-wheeler (Gator), but you'd be good for only 1 one-way trip. You couldn't turn around nor back up very well to get subsequent loads on that narrow winding path.

Sonny

[dpb]

Compared to hand-carrying, I'd find a way... :)

[J. Clarke]

Horse, mule, goat, large dog . . .

I don't like to carry stuff by hand that can easily be carried by machine either, but I recognize that that says more about me than it does about the feasibility of a project. The Pyramids were built without a single piece of powered machinery.

[dpb]

This looks large enough to me don't believe it would be much of a problem for a 4-wheeler...

Nonsense...the space aliens did it.

[Bob La Londe]

On 12/19/2019 7:02 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:> I recently took a walk through a conservation area in upstate NY. The following > boardwalk zigged and zagged through the area, creating a loop about

1/2 mile. > The curves were of various radii, some fairly sharp, some more sweeping. > > > > > > At every curve, and I mean every one, the boards were tapered to fit, sometimes > just a few, sometimes a dozen or more. If you zoom in on this image, you'll > see about 8 tapered boards in the center, and then a few more to left near the > posts that support the railings. The entire boardwalk is built like this. > > > > In addition, at each double post, the floorboards are notched to fit tightly > around the uprights. This notches are cut at all different angles, whatever > it took to get them tight around the posts. > > > > > I can't imagine that these cuts were made one by one, in the field, by a > person with a tape measure, a straight edge, and a circular saw. > > Perhaps there is a computer program, which lays out each cut, numbers > each board, etc. so that the boardwalk is put together in the field > based on a printed plan? Thousands of boards, all individually cut by > a CNC machine? Gotta be done like that, right? > > Even so, getting them this tight out in the field, the wet marshland in > fact, even if created and cut by a computer, is pretty damn amazing. > > > > > >

Not a job I would take, but if I did I'd setup a big wheel bench cart with generator and tools to drag behind me. Something with a work surface, and some room for carting stock. In that environment I'd probably spring for a "quiet" rated generator as well. Some might suggest battery tools. There are some awesome battery tools out there, but there is just to much work there unless you buy a LOT of batteries and chargers.

The nice thing is you are building the surface you need to make the cart roll more easily.

[dpb]

On 12/22/2019 11:16 AM, Bob La Londe wrote: ...

Indeed. When that was built, the battery-powered option wasn't nearly what it is today...I had never had battery-powered circular saw; figured that other than for just the lightest of work wouldn't be able to cut it (so to speak :) ).

I was totally blown away with the 20V DeWalt line the contractors had doing the house remodel...they're up to almost all framing work to the point when Ace had recent sale I ponied up for the impact driver, drill/driver and circ saw at $99/ea. Two had charger and 1/2 batteries, the saw was bare but still end up w/ the three tools, two chargers and three batteries for $300.

[J. Clarke]

These are not your father's cordless tools. I thought the 18v stuff was good, but the best battery pack deWalt ever made for it was 2.4 AH. The 20v packs (which work with the old tools with a rather annoying adapter) go up to 12AH. That's a lot more runtime. And there is a charger that handles 4 at a time.

[dpb]

...

...

That's the rub on the Ace special; they're just the 3AH packs but for my use pattern that'll generally be acceptable. W/ the two chargers and the three total I'll likely not be waiting much, ever.

Then again, if were all-day every day pro, the higher capacity packs would be big advantage.

[krw]

18V and 20V packs are exactly the same, just as 10.8 and 12V packs were the same. A LiIon cell charges at about 4.1 (sometimes specified as 4.2V) and discharges down to about 3.6V (less than this, there isn't a lot of energy. A "10.8V/12V" pack will have three cells in series and an 18V/20V pack will have five cells in series. The voltage printed on the side depends on where in the charge/discharge curve they spec the packs and the marketing department (really, the other way around).

BTW, the BORG has, or did yesterday, a choice of just about all of their Ryobi tools, two 3AH batteries, and charger for $99. The tools offered included brushless tools (though perhaps not all of them - didn't check). I picked up a reciprocating saw (don't use it often so Ryobi should be fine). I have a bunch of their other "weird" tools,too. The work lights came in handy today. We got home and the power was out. :-/