pressure treated posts warping

[Kspilot]

I started to build a large kennel using the pole method of construction. This summer I planted 30 6X6 pressure treated posts. I then had to leave the project due to work. Now that i am back to working on the kennel, over half of the posts have warped bad. I've been doing a lot of research and found out a lot, that i wished i knew before i started. I would like to use 3-2X6's laminated on top of the 6X6's but the dimensions don't work out. Also a recommended way of splicing. Any thoughts???

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Verticaltrx]

Are these posts for a pole type building or an outdoor structure? If it is a pole building there are a couple ways I like to do the top beam, depending on the building itself. First is to sandwich the post between two 2x's, size dependent on span and load. Then I run 1-2 1/2" carriage bolts all the way through. Second method is similar except the inside 2x sits in a notch on the edge of the post, which adds a little strength and makes a flush surface inside (Also bolted). On both of those you can also put a 2x8 or 2x10 flat on top to provide a nice flat area for nailing trusses or rafters to. Third is to notch out the edge of the post and laminate the 2x's together, sit that in the notch and bolt it it. This provides the strength of the notch, but also hangs one 2x over the edge which matches up with the girts below for a smooth exterior wall. If it is something that will be under cover, I'm a big fan of LVL beams. I just put some 42 footers up on a pole barn I was building and they are a nice option. No need for splicing shorter boards together, and they are almost perfectly straight.

As for the posts warping, that is a common problem. Lumber these days is getting cheaper and cheaper, it's hard to find good stuff. I sight every board/post I buy and if it's bowed/warped more than a tiny bit I set it aside. On something like a 16' long post, if it is warped a little when you buy it, it will warp A LOT when it dries. The only other way around this is to set the posts and immediately get the building built. Good luck on your project.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, its the sun baking one side of the post and not the other. Causes the warping. If you cover the post with metal or siding right away after install, no warping. Thing to note about the laminated posts. If these are left to weather for a year, they may not warp, but they will start to de-laminate. Ive seen it happen. Also happens to some glulams unless designed for outdoors use.

 

[Kspilot]

Thanks for the reply. Some of the posts will be contained inside of the building, some are on an overhang which will provide much needed shade for my huskies. The ones that are open to the elements.....other than having a 1 foot over hang of the roof, are the ones that concern me most. These will be major supports for the trusses and roof and only be tied at the top edges with a 2X8 for the trusses to rest on. The building is 20X80. There will be 8 kennel areas, basically 10X20 each. With 10 foot totally enclosed (5X10 for the dogs and a 5 foot walkway) and another 10 feet of covered area to provide shade.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have side overhangs on 2 buildings, but they are north facing so the sun doesnt hurt them. No warping after 4 years. If they were south facing id worry.

 

[Dave5264]

Maybe one of these methods will work for you, i used the same 6x6 posts, and my main beam is 3 2x8's on top (1st pic)...you'll have to use a couple of pcs of ply to get the full with of the 6x6 though.

Side beams are done a bit differently, notched the 6x6

 

[two_bit_score]

I started to build a large kennel using the pole method of construction. This summer I planted 30 6X6 pressure treated posts. I then had to leave the project due to work. Now that i am back to working on the kennel, over half of the posts have warped bad. I've been doing a lot of research and found out a lot, that i wished i knew before i started. I would like to use 3-2X6's laminated on top of the 6X6's but the dimensions don't work out. Also a recommended way of splicing. Any thoughts???

Thanks,
Jim

Don't know if it would work for your application or not but round posts don't warp like square posts.

Have you looked into Simpson connectors for splicing?

 

[grsthegreat]

Again. Electric heat is 100% efficient. Therefore a $10 - 1500 watt heater will work as well as a $400 - 1500 watt heater. Just not all the bells and whistles.


1,500 watts = 1.5 KW/hr x cost per KWH = cost to use (per hour)

 

[nickel plate]

Here is probably what happened:
The twist failure could have been prevented back at your post selection phase. If you can help it, never buy a piece of lumber or timber, treated or otherwise with a "bull's eye" on or near the center of the plank or post. This indicates the center of the tree rings which is by far the most reactive area to twist during the drying process. The further away the piece is from the center of the tree, the more docile it will be-do however try to avoid wain on the outermost cuts so the edges will be sharp and square.
As far as round posts, avoid them at all costs unless they are fully air dried so most all of the twisting factors are null by then. A round post is nothing more than a "peeler core", the bi-product from a plywood mill, the leftover core of the tree from spinning off the log's veneers and are mostly straight up bull's eye sticks.
If you order timber stock from a lumberyard to be delivered to your jobsite and you want to avoid bull's eye pieces, spec "FOHC" free of heart center but be prepaird to pay a little extra for the service.

 

[skipmarcy]

Here is probably what happened:
The twist failure could have been prevented back at your post selection phase. If you can help it, never buy a piece of lumber or timber, treated or otherwise with a "bull's eye" on or near the center of the plank or post. This indicates the center of the tree rings which is by far the most reactive area to twist during the drying process. The further away the piece is from the center of the tree, the more docile it will be-do however try to avoid wain on the outermost cuts so the edges will be sharp and square.
As far as round posts, avoid them at all costs unless they are fully air dried so most all of the twisting factors are null by then. A round post is nothing more than a "peeler core", the bi-product from a plywood mill, the leftover core of the tree from spinning off the log's veneers and are mostly straight up bull's eye sticks.
If you order timber stock from a lumberyard to be delivered to your jobsite and you want to avoid bull's eye pieces, spec "FOHC" free of heart center but be prepaird to pay a little extra for the service.

I agree with this. When I need good treated lumber (or good lumber of any kind for that matter) I go to my local lumber yard that has true #1 lumber. Years & years ago you could do with #2 stuff but not in a long time now. The #2 stuff that the big box stores sell would barely be decent utility grade back then and mostly culls. Luckily my local place is very fair on their pricing and competes well with the big places, sometimes right at their price but much better quality. I've had extremely good luck with their treated stuff staying to dimension and not warping.

 

[yomax4]

I built a new very large deck out of the latest treated wood. In 1 year the boards had warped enough to pull through the screws and the shrinkage was amazing. I had 1" gaps between the ends of boards. The sides were installed with no gap and they had 3/4" in 10 months. We ended up tearing off all of the 1 yr old boards and installed the new composite boards. ( awesome ) The sub frame of the deck had to be straightened with jacks and re- bolted and secured to be level. Some of the 2x10's under the deck were replaced because they looked like rocking chair rockers. I am told this is mainly due to the formaldahyde not being used anymore? I am unsure but I have built a dozen decks in my life and the new type treated wood is a different animal than I have ever seen.

 

[Kspilot]

I've decided that i will splice the warped 6X6's with lamenated posts. I was reading on one of the other posts that there are splice plates available. Now i just need to find that post again.

Jim D.
Kansas

 

[MrSteve]

I am with you... I started work on my pole barn and it took over 6 month to get it done, my post were a mess and to make matters worse, they were 4x6 post. What I ended up doing was using tie down straps, placed here, there and where ever else to make the poles true again, while strapped is when I added my 2x8s to keep everything true. It worked, thank God, because I thought I had a bigger mess that I wouldn't be able to fix. I'll post a few photos for the heck of it.

 

[MrSteve]

And a photo of the inside...

 

[Kspilot]

Now if i could just find out who it was that sold the splice plates. i've been searching for a couple of hours to no avail. If I remember right the plates were 5X18 and i think a quarter of an inch thick.

Jim D
Kansas

 

[two_bit_score]

I am with you... I started work on my pole barn and it took over 6 month to get it done, my post were a mess and to make matters worse, they were 4x6 post. What I ended up doing was using tie down straps, placed here, there and where ever else to make the poles true again, while strapped is when I added my 2x8s to keep everything true. It worked, thank God, because I thought I had a bigger mess that I wouldn't be able to fix. I'll post a few photos for the heck of it.

:thumbsup: congrats!

Looks like everything turned out really well!

 

[beppington]

It's not only the sun that warps them. I have several 2-by's right now that have been in my enclosed barn since I bought them, & they're warped all to h3ll:, just about useless.

I had wondered if laying boards directly on concrete caused warping, due to one side drying at a different rate than the other ... so I've tried instead laying them on little board pieces (up off the floor), laying them on their sides/edges, & even just standing them up on end (all inside my enclosed barn) ... & they can warp a lot in all of those scenarios, too. Extremely frustrating. Only thing I know is to not buy wood until you're really ready to use it.

 

[ragkar]

Slightly off topic reply
Several years ago I needed to mount my satellite dish about seven feet up in order to have a clear line of sight. I chose to create an antenna mast using
an 8 foot 4x4 pressure treated mounted vertically with four guy wires at both the four foot and eight foot level.
After a week I lost the satellite due to the 4x4 twisting. So I fetched a two foot piece of 1x1 angle iron and screwed it on top in a T configuration. Then I ran two guy wires from each end of the angle iron to keep the 4x4 from twisting.
It's worked for nine years now.