Yes. Please see my forth sentence.
I may revisit this approach, particularly if I can find a circular saw blade with a very wide kerf (1/4" or wider?). My first attempt failed because I left way too much room between cuts, as mentioned by other groupers.
My chisel-fu is not going to be up to your standard, so it may pay me to continue to let the router create the flat surfaces I require. That will be sufficient for the few pieces I need.
Thanks!
--Winston
I suppose you could put two blades on the saw. *grin* an actual dado set, "wobble" or otherwise, is definitely not a good idea,
BTW, there's nothing that says you have to leave _any_ space between the cuts -- you can take it all off with the saw blade. "Break it off, and clean up with a chisel and/or rasp" just tends to be easier/faster, particularly, when you're going 'along' the grain.
I'll merely point out that you don't _need_ "flat" surfaces, just that the two surfaces to be joined 'match". This -is- easier to do, with a bit of 'lay them to together and see where they bind'.
I'm not disparaging the way you're currently doing it -- if it works _for_you_ that's all that matters.
When the opportunity presents itself, it is always worthwhile experimenting with alternative approaches -- who knows, one of them *may* fit you better than the way you have been doing it. Of course, it may not, but you're never going to know until you try it.
One other alternative to consider, *IF* you've got the space to stand the 2x4 _on_end_, and support it stably, is to use a "back saw" (hand saw with a reinforced spine on the blade) to cut down the middle of the 2x4s, and then lay them down and cut off one of the 'sides', either with the back saw, or a power saw. This +does+ call for some skill with the back saw, to hold it vertical as you get the cut started.
We agree. 'Power tool racing' is for braver souls than me.
I grok.
I was hoping to take advantage of the raw wood in flat contact by gluing the corner laps together for added rigidity. Flatter would be better for that use, yes?
'Perfect' is the enemy of 'good enough'. I am not building a piano, I am building a fence gate. :)
I agree.
I'm not interested in developing the technique necessary to make a proper cut under these circumstances. That sounds like a lot of work and frustration. I will let Mr. Router do that for now.
I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Thanks!
--Winston
Consider a "glue" that can be used with pressure treated wood, and be aware that a lap joint is one joint, particularly in this application, that, in addition to being "glued", needs to be either pinned or screwed together.
Whups. I guessed that the chemical treatment penetration would be shallow enough that the core would remain reasonably unaffected. I was thinking on the order of say 1/4" depth max. I will have to check into this. Thanks for the heads up.
Yup. I bought a couple boxes of chemical resistant square drive fasteners from a local 'pro' lumber shop. I figured the shorter fasteners for the lap corners and the longer fasteners to attach the fence boards to the frame. Lag bolts for the hinges.
--Winston
The whole point of pressure treatment is that it goes all the way through.
"J. Clarke" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news7.newsguy.com:
So, when you cut off a piece of pressure treated lumber, and only the first
1/4" or so is brown and the rest looks like regular wood (a little darker) what's the difference between the brown and the yellowish center?Puckdropper
Put on more than one blade.
Nope. Either that or you can get better PT than I can. There are also different strengths of PT; eg, ground contact, direct burial, etc.
I have always heard - and agree - that if you cut a piece of PT the resultant raw wood should receive an application of a fungicide. I always do so with Cuprinol.
(...)
Oh! You guys weren't kidding?
I shall try that.
Thanks!
--Winston
That'll be the thing I learned today. Thanks!
--Winston
On Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:14:21 -0500, the infamous snipped-for-privacy@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) scrawled the following:
Yeah, and if one's installed backwards, it'll cut well on the return stroke, huh?
Bbbut, that's awfully tricky to do.
Yes you do need flat. Wavy surfaces don't glue-up well. Curved is OK if they mate, but "fairly flat" is a necessity.
True, try things until one "fits" your style.
[One could also set the depth stop in an SCMS (sliding compound miter saw) and cut them on one of those, Pooh.]-- Losing faith in humanity, one person at a time.
On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:43:14 -0400, the infamous "J. Clarke" scrawled the following:
YOU, sir, have obviously never cut a pressure treated piece of lumber in half. The core is never, in my experience, fully treated. Copper solutions only penetrate about 1/4", as discussed above.
That's why I keep 2 colors of dye/preservative in my truck. I have to daub it on the cut ends of PT lumber when I'm done so it matches and is protected from bugs and moisture.
I've been using the epoxy coated deck screws, but find that upon removal, half the epoxy is rubbed off. I'm in the process of converting my stock to galv once again. I want my hard work to outlast me. Square drive is definitely the best answer, too, with combo (pozi and square) the next best thing. TORX is quite good, as well, but square is my fave.
-- Losing faith in humanity, one person at a time.
On 27 Apr 2010 08:18:03 GMT, the infamous Puckdropper scrawled the following:
Treating. The untreated center is yellowish. ;)
-- Losing faith in humanity, one person at a time.
...
... If I'm reading your intent correctly, the corner would be grain at
90-deg angles. Such a cross-grain joint will fail shortly even w/o the exposure to weather. Forget the glue; if anything, a flexible glue _might_ help serve as a moisture barrier similar to a caulk. The abutted faces will be a moisture wicking point.As for cutting them, I make the shoulder cut w/ the circular saw and then use the bow saw (rip blade) to cut the length. Some practice and can do that as clean or cleaner than any other way and as quickly as well.
--
So, I learned *two* things this week. They are mutually contradictory, but I stand by my count.
:)
Larry, can I use regular wood glue to bond inner fibers of PT doug fir? Would epoxy work better? Some other adhesive perhaps?
Yup, I have a can of 'environmentally friendly' sealant for cut ends. It seems to work because I saw no deterioration in some diagonally cut
4 x 4 s that lived in the sun and rain for a decade.(...)
Ya got that right! I tested my first square drive fasteners in lumber a couple days ago. Absolutely *no* cam-out, even with a 2-1/2" long screw into dry wood. Solid, Jackson.
Any PT I've cut up is the same color all the way through. Yes, there are different grades but that is due to different formulation and concentration of the treating bath and to different treating techniques, not to different degrees of penetration.
If it's dimension lumber and it's not the same color all the way through (leaving aside heartwood vs sapwood) then it's crappy treatment and you should return it and demand a replacement that has been properly treated. Heavy pilings sometimes don't get quite that degree of uniformity but even there most of the sapwood should be penetrated.
Yes.
Even with screws through the facing boards and through the lap joints? I had no idea doug fir was that weak. I shall have to rethink this.
Perhaps I should weld up a steel box tube frame and use tek screws to hold the facing boards to the front. That'd work but I suspect it would have to be powder coated. This woodworking stuff is more complicated than I thought it would be!
I can't even place a proper axial cut with a band saw!
As you say above, it would all fall apart quickly anyway.
This is educational. Thanks for your thoughts.
--Winston
I will be all set during the 'big crunch'!
Indeed.
That is all but impossible for me. You should see some of the unintentional angles I've placed along axes over the years using various saws. Great for making stakes but I'm fresh out of vampires. Very discouraging.
Sometimes I forget to just walk over to the proper machine in my
10k foot^2 wood shop, like you do on your show, Norm. :)--Winston
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