sonam asked 2 years ago
hi
sonam here again. I wanted to ask you for a few expert tips to make a deck out of hard wood.
What are the steps from a log till making a deck?
how do I make the deck termite resistant, rain resistant and last longer?
what seal? stain? oil? should I use if I am making decks for sale in a large volume.
hoping to hearing from you soon.
thanks
much regards
Sonam
William Stewart Staff answered 2 years ago
Hi Sonam.
OK, you need to accomplish four main steps. Milling, Drying, Sizing, and Preserving.
Milling – this all depends on whether you’re using a chainsaw or bandsaw for the milling. A chainsaw mill is quicker and easier – especially if you’re using large logs. You’ll want to cut the planks larger than the finished size to allow for shrinkage and warpage when drying, as well as the losses from final sizing.
If you’re using a bandsaw, you’ll probably want to split the logs into quarters to allow you to get the quarter onto the bandsaw table – use a wedge and maul. You’ll need straight-grained logs for this method to be sure it splits into quarters evenly.
Drying – stack the planks undercover with 1/2-inch pieces of wood between them at frequent intervals to provide support. This will allow the air to flow around and through the planks to dry them. Don’t stack too high; make many smaller stacks rather than one large one. Ash, pine, and cedar will dry in under a month, while oak and maple will take longer. You’re looking for around 10% moisture content. You can hire a moisture meter for this check.
Sizing – Using a planer or a jointer, take the planks down to the finished thickness. Then use a table saw or bandsaw to cut them to the final width, trimming off the raw bark edge as you go.
Preserving – For external use, you require a wood preservative. If the timber is going into the ground, I suggest this product https://geni.us/832hBY.
Otherwise, this borate preservative for above-ground timber will work well https://geni.us/JBZPi. Using a large sheet of plastic, make a shallow bath on flat, level ground, using some timber or bricks under the plastic to form the well of the bath. Make sure it’s long enough to take the lengths of timber. Paint on your preservative, rotate the timber 90 degrees, and paint the next side. Keep doing this. Be sure to put plenty on the end-grain. Leave it to soak. Do this for all decking. Allow it to dry properly before use. When you install the deck, use an exterior deck stain or sealer such as these, https://geni.us/ZcneiL or https://geni.us/Ol3opVf.
I hope this helps. Good luck!