How To Begin Making Boards

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Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 16:50

Hey Deeks did you just source all your materials from a place like Bunnings? Also I've been reading up on the issues rail systems have with uneven pressure along the rail. Did you find any problems like that?

Also how far apart are the bottom two rails and how thick is the middle one? Do you know any good threads which talk about how to measure concave?

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 17:01

• yep - Bunnings for this lot (in the pictures - see my profile).
• I made the rail out of 2 pieces of 70x35 pine - glued and screwed together on the long side to ensure strength and it remained as straight as possible (making it about 70mm thick obviously) - so I didn't have any issues with uneven pressure
• The "planks" i used were all about 11" or 280mm wide as I planned to make the decks 10" (250mm) once completed - so the two outside rails (the darker pieces of timber) are sitting at 250mm apart - they are 18mm thick (3/4 of an inch) so thats how i measured the concave
• The "base" (the white piece of timber) is just 3/4 inch chipboard with a malamine face (stops the glue from sticking to it when you press the board)
• When you tighten down the cross bars, do it with a mate and take your time to ensure you do each rail evenly - don't try and crank one down real tight before moving onto the next - don't crank it down too hard otherwise you risk starting to bend the base board and you get a "wavy" deck as a result

I saw some rail presses that only had 3 cross members, and I thought that was too large a space, so I used four to make sure it was as even a pressure as could be achieved without then spending more than I wanted to on threaded rod and nuts, washers and pine!  This was when I was experimenting with processes for bending easy to source, cheap materials.  I've moved on a bit from this process now...  I hope the above makes some sense! 

 

Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 17:11

Yep perfect sense. Now I have to find a drill press to make sure the clamp holes are straight - or is this not too much of an issue?

My last question is with the clamps. So its just a threaded steel rod. 2 nuts +washers on the bottom clamp (both sides) and 1 nut for the top clamp.

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 17:17

pretty much... You can hand-drill the holes, but take some care as the whole things is tough to put together if you're careless with the line up!  I made sure I knew which end was which (why theres and A and B marked on the press) and numbered the cross beams when I drilled them!

Yep - 3/8 threaded rod and yep - 2 nuts and washers on the bottom piece, and 1 nut on the top piece, but I put a 3/8 inch washer then a 1/2 inch washer under that as they will bite into the pine as you start to crank them down, so a little extra reinforcement will help.  Good luck and let me know if/when you pump out a deck!

Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 17:23

Cheers this is probably the most helpful beginner thread I have come across. Uni starts for me next week so I'll be doing it slowly over the weekends. Will post up pics when I'm done!

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 17:28

Not a problem and good luck.  Happy to answer any question if I can!

Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 17:59

I was typing up my shopping list when I realised that you had pre-cut your plys. Would you recommend pre cutting or cutting and already pressed board....Or was it to keep the noses flat so that the trucks would sit flush?

Btw how long were your steel rods? I calculate that I'll need around >250mm?

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 18:14

Good point...  I cut out both planks before gluing and pressing exactly for the reason you mention - to keep the nose and tail nice and flat to ensure a good mounting surface for the base plates (both as a drop thru and as a top mount).  If/when you do the cut out, don't do as I did in my photos and make square cuts - you run the risk of the ply splitting at the intersection of the cuts - make them rounded - doesn't need to be exact, but it will lessen the slight possibility of a split/crack when you apply the pressure.  The steel rods come in various lengths - the ones I got where 600mm long and I just cut them in half - put a nut either side of where you will cut and then when you wind off the nut, it will clean up the thread on the way off.

Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 18:23

Cool I'll just place the cut end on the bottom side as I won't need it. I've also estimated the clamps to be 350mm long- how long were yours?

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 18:29

Close... just measured mine and they're 400mm - the base board and rail is 1220mm.

So all up, I just needed 4 pieces at 1.8m of 70x35mm pine but there is probably a more efficient way with less waste!  It was just easier to fit these lengths in a standard car!

Permalink Reply by Cents on January 6, 2012 at 18:37

Also is that maple for the bottom rails? I'm assuming you use a harder material to stop it from squishing when its clamped?

Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Deeks63 on January 6, 2012 at 18:59

nar - it's a piece of Merbau decking cut in half down the guts...  Even with something soft like pine, it would be unlikely to squash much, but you're better off with a hardwood of some sort.

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