Treating sawn timber

[haforbes]

I’m thinking about sawing up my own softwood timber for my own use but it would need treating with some sort of preservative. I live in a particularly wet area and a lot of the timber purchased over the past few years isn’t lasting very well, especially fencing stakes! Some of the older stakes on the farm have significantly outlasted new stakes. So the question is, what’s the best method of treating the timber? There’s a pressure treating place not far from me which is an option, I’ve heard some are using creosote but not sure that’s what it used to be. Many thanks [emoji1303]

[Woodworks]

1 hour ago, haforbes said:

 

I’m thinking about sawing up my own softwood timber for my own use but it would need treating with some sort of preservative. I live in a particularly wet area and a lot of the timber purchased over the past few years isn’t lasting very well, especially fencing stakes! Some of the older stakes on the farm have significantly outlasted new stakes. So the question is, what’s the best method of treating the timber? There’s a pressure treating place not far from me which is an option, I’ve heard some are using creosote but not sure that’s what it used to be. Many thanks

 

You can get old school creosote again. Its as orrible to use as ever haha

[topchippyles]

2 hours ago, haforbes said:

 

I’m thinking about sawing up my own softwood timber for my own use but it would need treating with some sort of preservative. I live in a particularly wet area and a lot of the timber purchased over the past few years isn’t lasting very well, especially fencing stakes! Some of the older stakes on the farm have significantly outlasted new stakes. So the question is, what’s the best method of treating the timber? There’s a pressure treating place not far from me which is an option, I’ve heard some are using creosote but not sure that’s what it used to be. Many thanks

 

Use good timber like larch which is excellent for exterior use and does not need treating 

[Matthew Storrs]

1 hour ago, Woodworks said:

You can get old school creosote again. Its as orrible to use as ever haha

It’s absolute filth- hate the stuff! Customer of mine loves using it and I’d really rather not do the job than suffer from creosote burns etc- particularly in summer when it oozes out. Not too bad if just doing stick fencing but post and rail where your handling the timber a lot…

Have you got a post peeler Harry?

[Woodworks]

1 hour ago, Matthew Storrs said:

It’s absolute filth- hate the stuff! Customer of mine loves using it and I’d really rather not do the job than suffer from creosote burns etc- particularly in summer when it oozes out. Not too bad if just doing stick fencing but post and rail where your handling the timber a lot…

Have you got a post peeler Harry?

It is filth to use and handle but I am so done with redoing fencing that rotted out in just a few years. All our fencing is now done on either steel (Clipex) or creosote treated posts. Had a tip to buy in creo posts well in advance and leave them out in the weather for 6 months or so. Seems to help no end

[haforbes]

It’s absolute filth- hate the stuff! Customer of mine loves using it and I’d really rather not do the job than suffer from creosote burns etc- particularly in summer when it oozes out. Not too bad if just doing stick fencing but post and rail where your handling the timber a lot…
Have you got a post peeler Harry?

No I haven’t got a post peeler, to be honest it’s not really for fence stakes so much, more so for sawn boards. I thought I’d mention the stakes because I know the posts they’ve been pumping out haven’t been the best quality. I thought someone might have a good way to treat them. Although we’ve mostly been using chestnut stakes, so far they are lasting fairly well.

To be honest I’d rather avoid creosote as well! A few years ago I found a very old drum of it and decided to paint some external timber with it. I spent most of that night awake being sick…which was nice!

Larch or douglas would be great, a neighbour is pumping tons of the stuff through a chipper for biomass so I might see if I can get some!

[Woodworks]

Whats the planned use for the wood?

 

Think the millers use borax to protect fresh cut boards from worm attack. 

I have used Barratine clear wood preserver to good effect on cheap softwood for outside doors and painted jobs