Timber supplies

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:25 pm

Hello All,

Serious consideration is being given now to the form that the permanent on track on the Soar Valley Light Railway will take. There is likely to be some more trial operation using 'jubilee' track to establish the worth of constructing a permanent railway but it's now fairly certain this will happen. Plans continue to be drawn up for the route and the construction of the earthworks.

The appearance of the track will be very important to me, it's high on the list of things that matter. I can't say I'm impressed with the Peco offering (a shame given the price but then I guess you gets what you pays for!), it's neither bullhead nor flatbottom and the less said about the appearance of the fastenings the better! I accept completely that for most people the proprietry track available is a relatively cheap and easy means of getting a reliable road down in fairly short order. For many people it's about the loco's, the stock, the scenery or perhaps the operation. For me the track is a key part of the railway and making it 'look right'.

To the furtherance of this ideal I have bought some Cliff Barker code 180 rail and chairs, I'm very impressed with them, aimed at G1 they look just about spot on for 16mm. Unfortunately the sleepers Cliff supplies are of standard gauge dimensions and 45mm gauge. I need something that is narrow gauge 16mm sized and 32mm gauge. Ideally I need hardwood timber 13mm x around 6mm. Any length strip will do, it's the cross section that matters. Even the 6mm is negotiable but the 13mm is quite important, 12mm would do but I don't want to compromise any more than that if I can avoid it.

I've spent the evening trawling the internet but not come up with anything suitable. Has anyone got any ideas on where I might be able to get hold of 13mm x 6mm hardwood suitable for use outdoors please?

Fingers crossed someone can help!

Andrew

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:53 pm

Have a ring around local timber merchants (Not B&Q et al) or sawmills.
Failing that a local joinery yard should be able to help. Most hardwood is suitable for outside use, a good does of creosote-type stuff works wonders as well.

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:58 pm

Thanks Jim, I may have to resort to that. I was hoping to find something on the net but sometimes good old fashioned shopping is the only way!

I've used a rather effective mix of creosote and old engine oil on my garden fence over the last couple of years. It was bone dry when we moved in and on the verge of crumbling away. My mixture has resurrected it so I plan to use the same on the track, I'm hoping it might even turn the whitemetal chairs brown!

All the best,

Andrew

WVLR · Post by **WVLR** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:59 pm

I'd use kiln dried sapele but if you can't cut it to size yourself then any option is going to be expensive.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:51 pm

Ahh Creosote and engine oil. What mix and what a great smell. Nothing will grow within 50ft of it My tool shed is painted with this and the rain just runs off. Sadly the current wife as banned me from using it on the new shed. Too smelly & too toxic apparently (the creosote not the wife!).
Mind you banning it won't stop me. It just means that I will be in the dog house for longer.

Post by **philipy** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:36 am

Can't help with the actual source, but buying strip to those dimensions and in the quantity you will need from a timber merchant/sawmill is likely to be expensive, due to the physical time taken and the amount of waste.
You might be better off investing in a bench/table saw and cutting up a plank yourself?
The saw will come in handy for a million other jobs around the house, garden and railway, as well.

Peter Butler · Post by **Peter Butler** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:55 am

A bench mounted Bandsaw might be a good investment for this and so many other jobs. Hardwood planks can be purchased from a merchant in various thicknesses and, if fairly narrow ones can be found, a bandsaw will manage perfectly well.
By setting a fence (usually supplied) a standard width can be assured and lengths can also be standardised.
Another advantage over a table saw is the blade width. Less timber will be wasted and a smoother cut can be achieved.

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:52 pm

Thanks guys,

Useful suggestions indeed. Setting up my own sawmill might have significant benefits if I ever get round to scratchbuilding my own stock (as planned) in addition to the pway uses.

Now, where are those plans for a pressure creosote treatment plant!

Jim,

The weed control aspects of the mixture can be very useful if not very environmentally friendly. It's certainly saved me some weeding, although the black currants took exception to it - mind you they were never any good and in the wrong place. They're not dead but need clearing out now. I'll just have to replace them with a railway! (In the furtherance of this aim replacements have been planted down the allotment to keep the household authorities happy!)

invicta280 · Post by **invicta280** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:52 pm

Would this be any good?

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/product ... e/PN131120

You would need to cut it to size for sleepers with a bandsaw of course.

WVLR · Post by **WVLR** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:01 am

invicta280:98311 wrote:Would this be any good?

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/product ... e/PN131120

You would need to cut it to size for sleepers with a bandsaw of course.

That's far too good a wood to use --- go for kiln dried sapele and buy yourself
a GOOD quality floor mounted table saw to cut it on from a good tool
shop (not B&Q etc). I have a Scheppach TKU which I've been using
for the last 30 years.

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:26 pm

Thanks guys,

That's some saw! I'm certainly going to look into something like that. It would have so many uses!

TommyDodd · Post by **TommyDodd** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 3:33 pm

You might find your choices improve if you opt for softwood. The open grain allows creosote or other preservatives to absorb more thoroughly than hardwood, which could pay dividends in terms of lifespan.

Soar Valley Light · Post by **Soar Valley Light** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:41 pm

Thanks for the suggested Mr Dodd. I have been giving serious consideration to that possibility myself. I was thinking in terms of some sort of hot creosote treatment. I'm not so daft as to try the traditional pressure treatment process on a domestic scale but some careful heating of the creosote with the timber immersed, followed by a long soak as it cools, may aid penetration of the preservative. This would obviously be an outdoor operation!

I'm not sure that your average DIY pine would necessarily be the right material. That stuff is usually still wet with sap and likely to warp like a great big warpy thing on a warpy day in Warpsville! Job one would therefore be to find a suitable supply of timber. I'm also tempted to do a bit of my own 'kiln drying' before treatment. Being the proud owner of a Rayburn stove I have an ideal timber drying plant. I dry a lot of the firewood for the stove itself in the oven during non cooking periods so a few sleepers should dry just as well. My concern is drying it too quickly and inducing warping again. If it worked though it would mean much better creosote penetration. The downside is that, being a solid fuel stove, it is only running during the cold moths of the year and I expect to be dropping the fire in the next two or three weeks. It will then be out until October.

I guess that gives me time to get on with the earthworks!

WVLR · Post by **WVLR** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:58 pm

I wouldn't use softwood, but having said that you might just (and I MEAN JUST) get away with using good quality and properly
seasoned red deal, But as I keep saying use kiln dried sapele, it's not expensive, it will take up the creosote well, it's nice to machine and it's stable.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 8:31 pm

I think the sapele route is the best.
Much as I like messing around with stupid things I don't think heating creosote is somthing I really fancy. I don't think the flash point of this real stuff is very high and with these creocote type substitutes who knows.

jim@NAL · Post by **jim@NAL** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:24 pm

its worth remembering planed timber will not be the size it says on the rack ie 2 x 2 will be 1.3/4 by 1.3/4 and so on .CIS (cis is kilm dryed timber) timber is cheap and will last years and years outside and you could treat it very easy

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