Treated trailer bed stakes

[stuckmotor]

I'm making stakes to go on a light trailer from treated 2X4s. They're still swolen with what they're treated with and I'm shaving them down to fit the pockets with a chisel and draw knife. Since draw knives are usually used on green wood anyway. They're shaving down pretty good. I hate to think how loose they'll be when they dry out.

 

[PA hayseed]

yeah, it is hard to find PT wood that isn't soaking wet in building season. Have you noticed how they pressure treat now, it doesn't come close to going the whole way through.

 

[stuckmotor]

I've read that before but hadn't noticed. I'll try to remember to check one of the 4X4s I cut the other day.

 

[QRTRHRS]

If you have a sawmill close by, red oak is a good choice. Even in the weather it will last awhile and when trimmed to fit a stake pocket, will not get as loose as wet treated is going to. If I have a project with left over PT wood, I will hang onto the pieces. Unless you are making side boards up that you want to look good, any twists won't really matter. Of course, fresh PT will likely twist anyway.

 

[QRTRHRS]

yeah, it is hard to find PT wood that isn't soaking wet in building season. Have you noticed how they pressure treat now, it doesn't come close to going the whole way through.

Pretty much never did. It depends on the dryness of the wood and the concentration of the chemical. Even with the earlier copper arsenic treatments, cut ends should be coated with something.

 

[buck12]

I think pressure treated wood is not the same as it was several years ago. My parents have a deck that is over 25 years old and it’s still solid. I build a dock on my pond about 14 years ago that is completely rotted. We only live about 7 miles apart so both structures have been exposed to the same elements.

Also, I have a 10 foot utility trailer that I replaced the floor on about 20 years ago and it’s still solid yet my 18 foot trailer that was manufactured in 2006 I had to recently replace about 1/3 of the floor. It seems something changed in the pressure treating process.

 

[jaxs]

EPA made them stop using treditional chemicals several years ago. Call around to find "Wolmanized" lumber. Insist that each board have a tag attached on one end that says Wolmanized. Ten years from now you will agree that not all treated lumber is created equal.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Might be a good idea to store some extra lumber out of the weather to dry out for making feature stakes.

Also keep in mind lumber comes in different grades of treatment. Those for ground contact have much heavier treatment. Different brands use different chemicals so some googling is needed for in depth info.

Current materials and treatments do not last near as long as they did 20 years ago. Absolutely correct.

 

[buck12]

Thanks for the tip. I will give it a try when I rebuild my dock.

 

[stuckmotor]

Might be a good idea to store some extra lumber out of the weather to dry out for making feature stakes. Snip

An excellent suggestion! Thank you.