The hard-won fruits of my labor...

[Brmorgan]

A few more pics

It only rained until about noon today and then got nice and sunny for most of the afternoon, so I was still able to get quite a bit done. I'm not much use before noon anyway unless I'm getting paid.

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75463&stc=1&d=1217653108[/IMG
I finished planing decking planks first thing today. Maybe I'll link this thread over to the one which was inquiring about small planers. For a cheap planer, I've been pretty impressed with this Delta. Also I planed all that and only got one tiny nick in the blades. Ended up having to take 3/32 - 1/8" off of them. Here I've started routing the 1/2" roundovers. Barely visible halfway down the deck is the #6 handplane I used to clean up any milling irregularities on the edges so that the router didn't gouge. Didn't feel like hauling my jointer out of the basement, or hauling the boards to it and back.

[IMG]http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75464&stc=1&d=1217653108
Filled four 45-gallon bags with planer shavings today! The barrel's half full too. My neighbor wants a bag or two for firestarter.

That's most of the deck boards, good side up. The rest are in photo #1 on the deck.

A better view of some finished, ready to use deck boards.

A closer view of the grain. I love this stuff. I put the heart side up on all except 2 boards to maximize wear durability. They were all cut from trees under 12" diameter and mostly come from side slabs at the sawmill, so they're pretty much all flatsawn as you can see in the 3rd pic above. I took care to not keep very many with pith wood, and after sitting 2 years there's very little warp.

Woodshop - if you can make it out here, you're welcome to come along! Though it's looking like tomorrow might be a no-go. Lots of summer left.

 

[buzz sawyer]

That's really nice looking wood. I heard about putting a strip of heavy roof underlayment (30 lb.?) on the tops of the joists to keep water from sitting on the top.

 

[Brmorgan]

Almost there! Got a little over 1/3 of the deck boards installed on Sunday/Monday. It got too damn hot after a while working in that corner yesterday - the afternoon sun just beats in there, and there was no breeze. So I called 'er quits and did some saw maintenance in the shade for the rest of the afternoon.

I HOPE I have enough boards to do the top. Unfortunately due to the way the beams line up I'm losing the better part of two feet off most of the boards. If they were actual 9' at 108" I'd be fine, but they're 104-5/8 studs so they ended up less than two inches short of making it to the next beam. I want to build some fir shelving inside the house though, so the shorts will get used at any rate. Of course I can always just mill more boards for the top, but I'm worried about them not being kiln-dried, unlike the ones I've been using. The building suppliers around here don't generally stock much D. Fir dimension lumber as it's hard as rocks when dry and a pain in the neck to use for framing. My nailgun just bounces off it if I hit a knot and leaves the nail half out.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Almost there! Got a little over 1/3 of the deck boards installed on Sunday/Monday. It got too damn hot after a while working in that corner yesterday - the afternoon sun just beats in there, and there was no breeze. So I called 'er quits and did some saw maintenance in the shade for the rest of the afternoon.

I HOPE I have enough boards to do the top. Unfortunately due to the way the beams line up I'm losing the better part of two feet off most of the boards. If they were actual 9' at 108" I'd be fine, but they're 104-5/8 studs so they ended up less than two inches short of making it to the next beam.

Is it too late to install in an extra joist so you can use the whole board?

 

[FJH]

Looks good BR, nice. All I can say is do not use a sealant, use stain. And those joist hangers need to be nailed down good. I was taught to toe nail five 31/4" common nails (with 2x10 joists) through the joist to the beam first, then put on the hanger with more nails.

I personally would have oiled every spec of the wood before assembly!If your in a damp climate the wood will only last 10 to 15 years exposed to dampness!

 

[Brmorgan]

It would probably be too hard to install any more joists without ripping up the boards I've put down, and I would have to do at least two, maybe three more to really help. The joists have been treated with oil-based wood sealant. This certainly isn't what I would call a damp climate (most of the time, this year has been a bit more rainy than normal). We get more sunny days than almost anywhere in Canada - today it was 35°C here. I think that's something like 97°F. What causes the worst damage to decks around here is snow piles melting on them in the spring, or putting salt and sand on them in the winter to get rid of ice.

 

[bc logger]

anouther thing that would help durabillaty of the deck would br gutters, just a thought a man does his own thing. as for a treatment a bud of mine built a fir deck and used spar varnish marine grade. in bc where we are snow up too 2-3 feet sit on it nov-mar the deeck is 4 yrs old and still in good shape

 

[Brmorgan]

anouther thing that would help durabillaty of the deck would br gutters, just a thought a man does his own thing. as for a treatment a bud of mine built a fir deck and used spar varnish marine grade. in bc where we are snow up too 2-3 feet sit on it nov-mar the deeck is 4 yrs old and still in good shape

Yep I'll be putting up eaves troughing soon. I'll look into that spar varnish. I assume it's for sailboats? You guys are a bit wetter over in Clearwater than I am here. I'll probably keep the deck shoveled off during the winter.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Yep I'll be putting up eaves troughing soon. I'll look into that spar varnish. I assume it's for sailboats? You guys are a bit wetter over in Clearwater than I am here. I'll probably keep the deck shoveled off during the winter.

I've used Natural Deck Oil and liked the way it lasted. It is also easy to recoat later on. You can get it at Rona and other places.

I like to put roofing tar on top of my joists before I lay the deck boards. When I have removed old decks, I found that most rot occured where the deck boards sat against the joists. Moisture stayed there creating a perfect environment for fungus. Therefore, the tar prevents the wood to wood contact keeping the moisture out.

Bill's Puddle has a dry climate unless you go out towards Horsefly Lake, so I wouldn't worry about the longevity of the boards. It will also help if air can circulate under the deck keeping the humidity lower.

 

[clearance]

I've used Natural Deck Oil and liked the way it lasted. It is also easy to recoat later on. You can get it at Rona and other places.

I like to put roofing tar on top of my joists before I lay the deck boards. When I have removed old decks, I found that most rot occured where the deck boards sat against the joists. Moisture stayed there creating a perfect environment for fungus. Therefore, the tar prevents the wood to wood contact keeping the moisture out.

That is a good idea.

 

[Zodiac45]

I personally would have oiled every spec of the wood before assembly!If your in a damp climate the wood will only last 10 to 15 years exposed to dampness!

I think he'll be ok but it's defo something too consider. In rebuilding a set of steps I noticed that only the tops and stuff in sight were ever treated. In the rebuild, I used mildew resistent (Zinzer or Kilz) undercoat and then painted (topcoated) everything on all sides first and then assembled the steps. The old ones lasted 18yrs. I'm hoping these will outlast me

 

[Brmorgan]

Getting close!

Been a long time since an update on this one, but between the weather and other projects and just the summer in general, I haven't had a lot of time to work on the deck. But I finally got the last board down on the deck a couple weeks ago. I was going to leave the walkway to the bedroom doors as a project for next spring, as I didn't think I had the wood for the top and the weather was rapidly declining. But, the last two weeks have been absolutely incredible, mostly sunny and in the mid to high 80s F (up to 30 C), so I decided to do my best to get it done. And I found a just enough fir 2X6 in the back of the shop that I'd forgotten about, so milling boards for the top was unnecessary.

The walkway is just over 48" wide to the outside edge of the front beam. The top boards are just laying there for now, I only had time to get them cut and finished today. I think I ended up being ONE PIECE SHORT! Though, I might end up needing an odd size, so maybe a 2X4 would work. But I do have some rough 2X stock out at dad's place in case I need one more 6".

Don't panic, that front 2X6 isn't holding the whole works on! There is a proper hanger assembly on the inside of the 4X4 post. I did manage to get the first 3 boards installed. This was so much easier than the longer deck boards. Warping should be pretty much a non-issue, where it was sometimes difficult to maintain even spacing on the deck. I decided to put a 1.5" X 1.5" bead on the outside edge to hide some pieces that had some splits or edgewane on the bottom.

Yeah, the yard's still a friggin' mess, but it's better than it was. Anyone need some nice dry planer shavings for firestarter? Can't beat it. So far I've got about 200 gallons of them not counting what's on the ground there (6 45-gal garbage bags full). I still have to do a cleaner treatment on the deck after walking all over it while building, and then do a sealer treatment. I'm leaning towards a light oil, I've tested some on scrap pieces and I was happy enough with it to treat the whole frame of the walkway with it.

I'm going to cut some 4X10 or 4X12s to use for stair stringers to tie the two together, and I also want to build steps off the end of the walkway to the right, and off the left corner of the deck, probably a 4' or 6' wraparound. I'm leaning towards using a 4X12 at least for the stringers that tie the two together, because I'd like to notch the ends such that the stringer will sit ON the deck and walkway, straight over top of the posts to relieve the weight a bit. But I'd still like the bottom of the face beams to be a continuous line from beam, thru stringer, to beam. My cousin worked in a stair factory for 4 years and is coming up for Thanksgiving (next weekend, not American I-Just-Can't-Wait-For-Christmas Thanksgiving ) and he said he'd give me a hand if he has time.

Overall I'm really happy with how it's turned out. The deck is nice and solid, doesn't shake if you walk on it. If you jump hard on it though, it's like a springboard because it flexes ever so slightly but snaps back really hard. I don't see myself doing that apart from testing though. It's not perfect, and there are a few boards I'm going to replace next year as I get better ones milled, but it's a helluva lot better than what was there when I bought the place. Now it's just missing a hot tub on, in, or beside the deck somewhere. That small window above the left end of the walkway is a sauna, and if I ever got a hot tub I'd make an external doorway to it.

 

[woodshop]

Very nice job, thanks for all the detail. Always good to see other peoples projects if only because it makes me want to dig more into some that I have on the back burner. I'm curious, did you plan ahead so those steps from the walkway to the main deck have walkable height and spacing? I know, you adjust the rise and width of step to fit the space, but I built a set of steps in my back shed years ago, and miscalculated... the top step is 3 inches less in height than all the others. No big deal, but every time I go up those steps I am forced to think about my mistake. From the looks of the rest of your deck though, you have that covered.

Keep us updated as you complete this.

 

[Ivan H.]

Wat a wast of good lumber ti wont last long tom trees

That Doug Fir will last a lifetime. The only better soft wood is Redwood,and I imagine it's pretty expensive in Canada.

 

[Ivan H.]

That deck looks beautiful I love Douglas Fir.

 

[irishcountry]

Hey man you did an excellent job looks great it is great to see some hard earned wood get put to such a rewarding job like that! I think I looked at that same planer (delta) at Lowes recently you must have put it through its paces on this project how did it do?? Thanks for the pics and info appreciate it irishcountry

 

[Brmorgan]

Hey man you did an excellent job looks great it is great to see some hard earned wood get put to such a rewarding job like that! I think I looked at that same planer (delta) at Lowes recently you must have put it through its paces on this project how did it do?? Thanks for the pics and info appreciate it irishcountry

Thanks. For what I ended up paying for the planer (< $100 new after rebates) it's done an excellent job. I definitely did put it through its paces on this job - I filled six and a half 45-gallon garbage bags of shavings. I've also planed a LOT of 1X3 hemlock and quite a bit of birch as well, all on the original set of knives. The only thing I don't like about it is that the knives are so small - MAYBE 1/2" wide and less than 1/8" thick - that they can't hold up to very much resharpening. The only saving grace is that they're two-sided, which I would expect for what new ones cost (just under $50 here). It is prone to tearout on wood that's a bit damp or has some grain deviation, but that can mostly be corrected by taking very light skimming passes. And it isn't the greatest for end snipe, but I have yet to use a single-feedroll portable planer that doesn't have that problem. I'd like to have a dual- or variable-speed feed, dust collector hookup, and at least a three-knife cutterhead, but those are luxuries for the amount of work I do with it right now. I am looking at getting a DeWalt 15" with those features in the near future though, depending on how the economy and my job security turn out in the next little while. Not looking too good right now.

 

[irishcountry]

Thanks for the input. Hang in there seems like its getting tough for everyone I know Mi. is not in the greatest shape with all the Auto industry leaving!! Hang in there and have fun milling! irishcountry

 

[Brmorgan]

Thanks for the input. Hang in there seems like its getting tough for everyone I know Mi. is not in the greatest shape with all the Auto industry leaving!! Hang in there and have fun milling! irishcountry

Yeah, I'm hanging in for now... Our forest industry has been decimated in the past few years as a result of the pine beetle epidemic, and the disproportionate tariffs placed on our softwood lumber by the US. So we've had a tough row to hoe for a while now, and the dropoff in housing starts combined with the devaluing American dollar and the current economy is making it really touch and go, as most of our product goes down south and we get paid in USD. On the upside, only the most efficient mills will survive and it will weed out a lot of those who are only in it for a quick profit. I'm fortunate to work in a mill where the multi-millionaire owners still come in and pull a wrench and get down and dirty with the rest of us when necessary, so at least I can tell they care. Our other primary industry is the three local copper/gold mines, and last week I was reading in a newspaper that there had been the largest one-day drop in copper prices in I forget how many years, so that's not good. But everybody's making a big deal about the new Wal-Mart that we'll be getting, and how it will provide something like 200-300 jobs. They fail to mention that they're mostly minimum-wage part-time jobs with crap benefits, compared to the $20-$40 an hour that I can make at a mill or mine. I WILL NOT EVER darken a door that says Wal-Mart above it. But I've started going O.T. again...

As far as milling goes, that might be pretty much done for this year - there's morning snow and highs in the low to mid 40s forecast for the next few days, so who knows. October 1st and 2nd were almost 90F here, and not a cloud in the sky. How quickly fall can come up here. I was hoping to get a big 30" X 80' spruce out behind dad's place milled up for studs to frame my basement in with, but it's in a wet area at the best of times and I don't feel like getting cold AND wet. It will be quick work with the system I now have worked out, so if it does turn nice again all I'll need is a day and a half or so. I do have a fair amount of 12"-16" birch logs laying on the ground in the woods out there too, and I need to get them out so they don't get whiterot in the spring, but some spalting would be nice. Speaking of birch, I should take a picture of the huge birch root ball / burl that I dug up out there. It's going to be a challenge to mill out and I will likely need some ideas and advice.

 

[irishcountry]

Yeah some of the big box store stuff effected my business a few years back, I am in the greenhouse industry (small mom+pop scale). It was impossible to compete with their advertised prices until people got tired of buying things that only lived a month or two their "flat" was say 7$ which sounds good til you factor in Qty. a old style flat like I plant has twice the amount of plants in it than theirs the value is obvious but it took a few years to come back around in the end it actually helped me out!! I always love hearing that around here oh were getting a Walmart and its going to bring in jobs with the wages they pay and like you said the crap benefits I don't know how someone could even make it let alone support anyone but themselves. We stay away from Walmart as much as possible occasionally buy some canned goods to stock up but thats it!! Between the mill and the mine I hope you do well its good to just have a job right now and its good to hear your "higher ups" aren't afraid of getting in their and getting their hands dirty along with everyone else. I would like to see that root ball I'll keep a eye out for you post! Take care irishcountry