Warped post on 8 month old fence, who's responsible for repair?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Warped post on 8 month old fence, who's responsible for repair?

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#2127600 15-Nov-2018 22:32

The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

andrewNZ

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#2127627 15-Nov-2018 23:25

Geektastic:
We put several kilometres of fencing in last year. It's sheep netting and barbed wire, but there are a lot of fence posts. So far, none of them look any different from the day they were driven in. I wonder if sawing the wood contributes to the the issue?

I should have made my statement clearer.

When I said fencing timber, I wasn't referring to your average farm grade timber. I was referring to urban grade fencing timber.

Bung

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#2127638 16-Nov-2018 00:16

There would be quite a difference between round wood and sawn posts. The poles at least would be symmetrical where each sawn post can be different depending on where it was cut from. In its own way farm timber will be just as cheap and nasty.

Lastman

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#2127641 16-Nov-2018 01:36

Bung: There would be quite a difference between round wood and sawn posts. The poles at least would be symmetrical where each sawn post can be different depending on where it was cut from. In its own way farm timber will be just as cheap and nasty.

That’s right. Farm posts have been made from a sapling so not cut unless half or quartre round.

I’m pretty sure they’ve been pre-dried too whereas square posts are generally not.

driller2000

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#2127668 16-Nov-2018 07:57

IMO this post (timber post that is!!) is not acceptable - and should be replaced by the builder at their cost.

Appreciate this is not his "fault" per se ie. but it was supplied and installed by him - so it makes it his problem. More likely just the way timber is as a natural product with variances in properties and possibly poor / insufficient drying time during its manufacture.

As for bolting the rails - this is done in some cases - but likely would not have stopped the warping as there is very little strength in the top rail in terms of resistance to bending. So the fence would have just warped along with the post.

eracode

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#2127680 16-Nov-2018 08:31

Bung: The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

Keep one side of the post permanently wet to keep the post straight? Yeah right.

Unlikely that this is the cause anyway. It's like a carrot that is pretty much straight until you cut it lengthwise - then you suddenly have two curved pieces - due to the inbuilt tensions in the carrot/post that are partially released or become unequilibrated when it's cut. In the case of the post it only becomes apparent as it dries but re-wetting it on the surface would be unlikely to reverse it.

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clevedon

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#2127723 16-Nov-2018 08:40

Bung: The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

eracode

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#2127729 16-Nov-2018 08:46

clevedon:

Bung: The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

Yeah but somehow I don't think he was joking.

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Lastman

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#2127743 16-Nov-2018 08:50

Just to digress slightly I see a company, Future Post, has been formed to manufacture posts from recycled plastic, they are much more “dimensionally stable” than wood and don’t have the warping problem.

Bung

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#2127755 16-Nov-2018 09:00

clevedon:
Bung: The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

Given time to dry evenly the post may stay straight. I've had posts lying on the ground bend back and forth depending on which side was down.

eracode

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#2127790 16-Nov-2018 09:37

Bung:
clevedon:

Bung: The post is bowing toward the side that's drying fastest. I'd try soaking the outside of the post (opposite the rail side)and see if it starts to straighten.

Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

Given time to dry evenly the post may stay straight. I've had posts lying on the ground bend back and forth depending on which side was down.

Don't doubt that - but trying to rectify an already-warped post in situ by wetting one side of it ...?

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Paul1977

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#2127809 16-Nov-2018 10:17

I had a better look last night and as well as warping away from the fence, it has also warped laterally. The lateral movement has actually snapped the two (relatively) thick tech screws that were attaching the top rail clean in half.

That surprised me, but I guess the don’t make ‘em like they used to!

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#2127921 16-Nov-2018 13:34

Paul1977: I had a better look last night and as well as warping away from the fence, it has also warped laterally. The lateral movement has actually snapped the two (relatively) thick tech screws that were attaching the top rail clean in half.

That surprised me, but I guess the don’t make ‘em like they used to!

I’ve seen that quite a lot with drying timber. I believe it’s because screws are higher tensile steel while nails are softer and more ductile.

Still, the olden day nails seemed to be both stronger and harder.

lapimate

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#2128109 16-Nov-2018 17:54

More kerfs/wedges to deal with severe bending. Epoxy glue for the wedges.

eracode

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#2128153 16-Nov-2018 19:59

lapimate:

More kerfs/wedges to deal with severe bending. Epoxy glue for the wedges.

First thoughts:

- extra kerfs for more severe bending plus associated backup fish plates on each side > quite ugly

- this post is warped in two dimensions > this solution not practical

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

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