The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
Building a Bridge
John Rudd:
A very ambitious project you've taken in there.... :bow:
Spurry:
A very impressive quantity of straight-looking lumber to hand nail. Do you just depend on the bulk to keep it central to the steel or is it/ will it be secured in any way?
I doubt there is that much straight wood in the UK, certainly not in any of the woodyards I've visited anyway.
Pete
vtsteam:
Thanks gents ! :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: -- just on lunch break from nailing today.
Quick answers to questions -- the bridge will be secured central to the beams with toe clips driven from below. I didn't want to drill through the flanges.
The ends will be secured for-n-aft by additional concrete blocks -- abutments -- in the true sense of the word. behind them will be gravel fill at road level.
The lumber is pressure treated (preservative) made from fast farm grown southern yellow pine species. Not like the old-growth southern yellow pine, which was heavy and very rot resistant on its own, but rare now.
The fast grown stuff depends on the preservative for outdoor use. It can be very wonky if allowed to dry out unsupported. It is always received sopping wet -- like green wood. So yes it's straight, as long as you don't leave it out in the sun for long! There are plenty of knots in it, and a fair amount of waney edges, which I turn downwards for the deck, as much as possible.
It's not a high class of lumber, here. But it is good for outdoor stuff.
I had thought about covering with asphalt roofing compound, but I haven't sen others do that on wooden deck bridges. Not sure if that would protect the wood, or trap moisture into it. Undecided, at this point. Likely I would delay that anyway, until the pressure treated wood is more dried out.
awemawson:
a bit slippery in the wet I'd assume Steve :scratch:
vintageandclassicrepairs:
Hi Steve,
That is some impressive work :thumbup:
I can see some more concrete "blocks" in the backround of one of the photos
Is there a plan for them?
John
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