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Wood Structures That Will Last for Years.

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Wood Structures That Will Last for Years.
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Posted: Oct 20, 2008 at 14:10 Quote
Okay all you wood builders out there, we’re building a new bike park and we have bolted the major structural components together but struggling with the best material and connectors to use for the slats or ladder portion. We have been using deck screws through 2x4 studs. Some are attached with one screw at each end others are using two. For sure we are cutting the slats too short as the screw sometimes splits the ends of the slats. The slats with one screw are coming loose and wobble. The double screwed connection hold better but again we have cut the slats too short and split the wood.

Should we use something wider than a 4” with three or more connectors, should we use construction adhesive along with screws, should we use nails and screws? We need some suggestions and success stories. Our climate is dry – 10 plus inches of rain a year.
flag xTuftyx
Posted: Oct 20, 2008 at 14:13 Quote
Pilot the Slats before fixing 2 each side stops movement and splitting. As for weather conditions wood will expand and contract with moisture in the wood not alot can be done about that.
flag livingkills
Posted: Oct 20, 2008 at 14:16 Quote
just getter thicker, wider wood.
thats what my bike park did(ukbikepark)
they have great northshore stuff
flag CT-2
Posted: Oct 20, 2008 at 16:15 Quote
Yeah like xTuftyx said above, just pre drill the holes with a bit slightly smaller then the screws threads, its gonna be a pain in the ass to do it to every slat but it's less work then getting more wood (probably). If its 2x4's you should use 2 screws on each side, or one screw and one nail per side if thats cheaper. I use 3" deck screws, your 2x4 is really only 1 3/4" thick so there is plenty of grab on both the slat and the stringer. Oh and don't let the slats extend more then an inch or so over the edge or else the leverage might lift them if u stand on the edge (not if you use screws though). Let us know how it goes or if this helps!
flag
Posted: Oct 21, 2008 at 15:25 Quote
If you guys wanted things to last for years you should stop buying the crap they sell at Home Depot. Cut and slit your own stringer and the feature *should* last for atleast 5 years depending on the wood you use.
flag onterribleftw
O+
Posted: Oct 21, 2008 at 15:33 Quote
Like the others said, pilot the holes, and make there there is ~1" from the pilot to the edge of the board. And tighten, but don't overtighten the screws. After a month or two, then go back and retighten all the slats. Redoing this after they 'break in' will help them last a lot longer.
flag erik74
Posted: Oct 21, 2008 at 15:42 Quote
piloting the holes is the best thing to do. while putting our deck back together (fixed up the pool) i had some nails closer than an inch to the end, but because i drilled a hole first, it didnt split (i wouldnt recommend this though, since it was quite lucky)

also, put 2 screws/nails, you have plenty of room using 2x4's.
flag onterribleftw
O+
Posted: Oct 21, 2008 at 15:48 Quote
erik74 wrote:
piloting the holes is the best thing to do. while putting our deck back together (fixed up the pool) i had some nails closer than an inch to the end, but because i drilled a hole first, it didnt split (i wouldnt recommend this though, since it was quite lucky)

also, put 2 screws/nails, you have plenty of room using 2x4's.

No nails, make the effort to use screws, and nice big drill makes it easy. Will likely make it last more than 2X as long with screws instead.
flag dazem
Posted: Oct 21, 2008 at 15:49 Quote
hire a carpenter because you obviously dont have a clue, no wonder bike parks have such a hard time getting insurance
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Oct 23, 2008 at 9:31 Quote
stop using 2x4's, they're just crap if your stunts see any traffic. Get yourself some rough cut 2x6 or mill up your own slats from logs in the forrest and ust 4-6" spikes. No fuss no muss...

CM!
flag CT-2
Posted: Oct 23, 2008 at 14:00 Quote
dazem wrote:
hire a carpenter because you obviously dont have a clue, no wonder bike parks have such a hard time getting insurance
You think maybe he asked the question so he could learn and build it properly? Carpenters aren't born with all their knowledge, they need to learn just like everyone else.

Keep asking questions man, just ignor the bullshit replies, half the people on this site have nothing positive to say anyways.

Cro-Mag wrote:
stop using 2x4's, they're just crap if your stunts see any traffic.
You mind elaborating on this? I don't see how a 2x4 would be crappy compared to a 2x6 no matter how much traffic it gets. The are both the same thickness so the only difference would be that you need more 2x4's to cover the same distance (as long as they are both nailed to a flat surface).
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Oct 23, 2008 at 14:33 Quote
CT-2 wrote:
dazem wrote:
hire a carpenter because you obviously dont have a clue, no wonder bike parks have such a hard time getting insurance
You think maybe he asked the question so he could learn and build it properly? Carpenters aren't born with all their knowledge, they need to learn just like everyone else.

Keep asking questions man, just ignor the bullshit replies, half the people on this site have nothing positive to say anyways.

Cro-Mag wrote:
stop using 2x4's, they're just crap if your stunts see any traffic.
You mind elaborating on this? I don't see how a 2x4 would be crappy compared to a 2x6 no matter how much traffic it gets. The are both the same thickness so the only difference would be that you need more 2x4's to cover the same distance (as long as they are both nailed to a flat surface).

well a few things to clear up....1: rough cut 2x6 are actually 2" thick, 2x4's are only 1.5" thick. 2: with a 4" wide board if you fasten with 2 screws per side you are more likey to crack the board resulting in loose slats, if you only put one screw in per side then you will definately end up with loose boards as one fastner per side is not adequate to secure your slats.

I've had a lot of experience testing these fastning methods over the years....

CM!
flag erik74
Posted: Oct 23, 2008 at 14:35 Quote
Cro-Mag wrote:
CT-2 wrote:
dazem wrote:
hire a carpenter because you obviously dont have a clue, no wonder bike parks have such a hard time getting insurance
You think maybe he asked the question so he could learn and build it properly? Carpenters aren't born with all their knowledge, they need to learn just like everyone else.

Keep asking questions man, just ignor the bullshit replies, half the people on this site have nothing positive to say anyways.

Cro-Mag wrote:
stop using 2x4's, they're just crap if your stunts see any traffic.
You mind elaborating on this? I don't see how a 2x4 would be crappy compared to a 2x6 no matter how much traffic it gets. The are both the same thickness so the only difference would be that you need more 2x4's to cover the same distance (as long as they are both nailed to a flat surface).

well a few things to clear up....1: rough cut 2x6 are actually 2" thick, 2x4's are only 1.5" thick. 2: with a 4" wide board if you fasten with 2 screws per side you are more likey to crack the board resulting in loose slats, if you only put one screw in per side then you will definately end up with loose boards as one fastner per side is not adequate to secure your slats.

CM!
2 screws on a 2x4 fits great though, and if your worried about splitting it, grad a drill.
flag
Posted: Oct 23, 2008 at 17:51 Quote
Cro-Mag wrote:
CT-2 wrote:
dazem wrote:
hire a carpenter because you obviously dont have a clue, no wonder bike parks have such a hard time getting insurance
You think maybe he asked the question so he could learn and build it properly? Carpenters aren't born with all their knowledge, they need to learn just like everyone else.

Keep asking questions man, just ignor the bullshit replies, half the people on this site have nothing positive to say anyways.

Cro-Mag wrote:
stop using 2x4's, they're just crap if your stunts see any traffic.
You mind elaborating on this? I don't see how a 2x4 would be crappy compared to a 2x6 no matter how much traffic it gets. The are both the same thickness so the only difference would be that you need more 2x4's to cover the same distance (as long as they are both nailed to a flat surface).

well a few things to clear up....1: rough cut 2x6 are actually 2" thick, 2x4's are only 1.5" thick. 2: with a 4" wide board if you fasten with 2 screws per side you are more likey to crack the board resulting in loose slats, if you only put one screw in per side then you will definately end up with loose boards as one fastner per side is not adequate to secure your slats.

I've had a lot of experience testing these fastning methods over the years....

CM!

Glad to hear that someone else gets it.... At Highland, my local place where Claymore was, NOTHING is milled wood. Its all rough cut hemlock. You look at other bikeparks and they just buy stuff at Home Depot cause its easy to get. But it just doesnt last as long...
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Oct 24, 2008 at 7:16 Quote
RockyMountainPride wrote:
Cro-Mag wrote:
CT-2 wrote:

You think maybe he asked the question so he could learn and build it properly? Carpenters aren't born with all their knowledge, they need to learn just like everyone else.

Keep asking questions man, just ignor the bullshit replies, half the people on this site have nothing positive to say anyways.


You mind elaborating on this? I don't see how a 2x4 would be crappy compared to a 2x6 no matter how much traffic it gets. The are both the same thickness so the only difference would be that you need more 2x4's to cover the same distance (as long as they are both nailed to a flat surface).

well a few things to clear up....1: rough cut 2x6 are actually 2" thick, 2x4's are only 1.5" thick. 2: with a 4" wide board if you fasten with 2 screws per side you are more likey to crack the board resulting in loose slats, if you only put one screw in per side then you will definately end up with loose boards as one fastner per side is not adequate to secure your slats.

I've had a lot of experience testing these fastning methods over the years....

CM!

Glad to hear that someone else gets it.... At Highland, my local place where Claymore was, NOTHING is milled wood. Its all rough cut hemlock. You look at other bikeparks and they just buy stuff at Home Depot cause its easy to get. But it just doesnt last as long...

Doesn't last long, its more expensive and its slippery. I've been at this long enough to know what to use now and why. Its a little more work to mill slats and you need the material around your site but its better then hauling in your material. If you do have to buy, the rough cut is a whole lot cheaper and covers more area then your regular home depot wood.
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