Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: pcolbeck on 13 April, 2021, 07:12:14 am

Title: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: pcolbeck on 13 April, 2021, 07:12:14 am
I'm building some raised beds with sleepers laid narrow edge down, two sleepers high. The bottom layer will be screwed together with threaded rod driven through and into the ground to stabilise it and the top layer screwed together and also into the bottom layer vertically with sleeper screws. I plan on boring a wider hole than the bolt shaped screw heads an inch or so deep and filling with wood dowels to hide the sleeper screw heads and tidy it all up. The question is with softwood sleepers should I use oak or softwood dowels. Oak would obviously be more resistant to rot but would it work driven into a softwood sleeper?
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: robgul on 13 April, 2021, 07:40:25 am
I'd go for softwood as it's more like to shrink/expand in parallel with the softwood sleepers and keep the "hole" filled.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: aidan.f on 13 April, 2021, 10:56:05 pm
I made a feature of my fixings. Coach bolts with large square galvanized washers Underneath. It's on our allotment. Lynn was asked where she brought it...
Maybe I should post a picture sometime
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 14 April, 2021, 08:26:05 am
Whichever wood you use, the grain of the dowel will be exposed and so the dowel will soak up water faster than the surrounding timber and also dry out faster.  For that reason oak dowel might be better.

Better still, get a plug cutter and cut a plug so you have the grain lying in the same direction as the sleeper grain and then just use the same timber as the sleepers.  Everything will move in harmony.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: pcolbeck on 14 April, 2021, 10:14:15 am
I like the plug cutter idea but don't have any spare sleepers.

I ended up buying 16mm beech dowels as they were available and precut to 9cm lengths. Since I need about 50 that's reduced the number of cuts needed by 1/2 as I will just need to flush cut them with a Japanese saw.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 15 April, 2021, 06:18:23 pm
Beech will rot away, as it isn't a durable timber.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 16 April, 2021, 10:48:05 am
I like the plug cutter idea but don't have any spare sleepers.

I ended up buying 16mm beech dowels as they were available and precut to 9cm lengths. Since I need about 50 that's reduced the number of cuts needed by 1/2 as I will just need to flush cut them with a Japanese saw.

Yup beech is an indoor timber.  I often cut plugs from the unexposed side of the timber.  Only I will know.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: pcolbeck on 16 April, 2021, 02:39:14 pm
Beech will rot away, as it isn't a durable timber.

Oh bugger. Maybe I should have gone for oak.

Will it rot any faster than the softwood sleepers its plugging holes in though ?
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: pcolbeck on 16 April, 2021, 03:07:07 pm
Bit the bullet and ordered some oak dowels. Might as well do it properly.
I guess the beech ones will come in useful for something - I have 65 16mm x 90mm ones ....
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 16 April, 2021, 06:10:51 pm
I would hope that your softwood sleepers have been tantalised. If so, then yes.

But then, if you bore into them you'll go past the depth of the tantalising, so stopping water getting into that point is a priority if you want things to last.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: pcolbeck on 18 April, 2021, 09:39:40 am
I would hope that your softwood sleepers have been tantalised. If so, then yes.

But then, if you bore into them you'll go past the depth of the tantalising, so stopping water getting into that point is a priority if you want things to last.

Yes tantalised. Ill slop something suitable in the holes before I drive the oak dowels in.
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Jaded on 18 April, 2021, 10:06:36 am
What have they been tantalised with  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: Asterix, the former Gaul. on 20 April, 2021, 06:55:05 am
Would sleepers react to tantalising anyway?
Title: Re: Oak or softwood dowels?
Post by: PaulF on 20 April, 2021, 07:21:51 am
Would sleepers react to tantalising anyway?

You'll have to ask an incubus.