4x1 Timber lengths, are there any non timber alternatives? Mowing strip reasons

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › 4x1 Timber lengths, are there any non timber alternatives? Mowing strip reasons

tdgeek

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#248347 21-Mar-2019 11:02

I have a lot to do, including bends, and I just need a 25mm mowing strip width, 4x1 seems a good way to go, but there is the warping issue. A non wood 4x1 or similar dimensions would be ideal. I want to avoid concreting, and wood or similar is more workable and quicker. The garden border is a trench, that will remain, the 4x1 will sit vertically to topsoil level

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#2202785 21-Mar-2019 11:45

Paving stones?

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tdgeek

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#2202826 21-Mar-2019 12:08

Journeyman:

Paving stones?

I will do that for the hedge borders as I can get away with no base, as the ground is firm and out of walking range and not wet. I'll hope to get away with sculpting out the strip, weedmat for weeds and a bit of support.

The other area is a horse shoe shape, but more the issue is that drainage is an issue, it can and does get WET. That's not an easy fix. If I concreted or paved Id need to trench out maybe 100x100 and reinforce with No.8 wire to avoid cracks as it wont be hard and stable underneath at time. Do you mean sit them on the thin edge? Hadn't thought of that. Again they will shift/sink. My mower had an overlap, but I need a firm edge for the wheel, plus the grass grows out the side as well out of mower range. There are 3mm plastic edging that peg on. That would do nicely but unsure if they would start breaking up with mower wheels over that every 7 days. Those half rounds wired tougher is an option, they may chew up the mower tyres with the gap between them?

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#2202833 21-Mar-2019 12:20

I've never thought of a mowing strip only being 25mm wide. I have some garden border made of recycled black plastic approx 150 x 6mm

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#2202837 21-Mar-2019 12:31

Bung: I've never thought of a mowing strip only being 25mm wide. I have some garden border made of recycled black plastic approx 150 x 6mm

Ill try to clarify

I have lawn, and a garden, the lawn edge has vertical spaded cut, so a type of trench. I want a 25mm or so border up against the vertical lawn edge to stabilise it, and to allow my mower wheels to run along that as the blade overlaps the wheels. But as the edge is slightly curved, 25 mm would do it. 4x1 timber would be perfect if it would not warp

So its sorta like this, but I only need 25mm width. And as wood bends, I can keep it neat, but I doubt I can get away with wood unless maybe I got a dense wood such as redwood, to stop warping.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mowing+strips&client=firefox-b-ab&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=F2tEe8ZO49Z3iM%253A%252ChiCRR68xgbk47M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTAE59GEs4Ky0qzdOf-BamnYKIEmw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjN78e175HhAhXn73MBHQS8C6AQ9QEwBnoECAYQEA#imgrc=beWXbegZBJ0XDM:&vet=1

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#2202839 21-Mar-2019 12:33

Bung: I've never thought of a mowing strip only being 25mm wide.

Yeah, I don't really need a border between the lawn and garden, I need a mower wheel track! So I can quickly mow the curved edge

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#2202841 21-Mar-2019 12:43

Galvanised steel perhaps? Say 5mm thick by whatever width you were happy with ( I'm thinking about 50-75mm). It'll bend easily to follow the curves of your lawn edge, but certainly won't warp. Might be a little thin for your mower wheels to track along nicely though.

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#2202842 21-Mar-2019 12:48

Can you just stake 25mm thick wood at close intervals e.g. 300-500mm to overcome the warping issue?

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#2202848 21-Mar-2019 13:13

nickb800:

Can you just stake 25mm thick wood at close intervals e.g. 300-500mm to overcome the warping issue?

That was the plan but I asked this a year ago here, and the response was it won't work. I thougtb also I'd do that, and Id drill two holes, vertical ,and hammer 6 inch nails into it from the garden side, to "attach" to the lawn. Every 2 metres. The idea being that two vertical holes will stop it pivoting, and I imagine it would take a lot of force to lift the wood vertically with nails horizontal in the lawn soil resisting that. In the lawn its solid, roots galore, etc

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#2202851 21-Mar-2019 13:26

You just need appropriate posts for the ground conditions - it's definitely feasible to vertical and horizontal movement.

I've seen the old thread now - as I said there, if failure is not an option for you, then go for steel warraths. Easily driven into your deep clay base with a sledgehammer. Then tek screw them to the top and bottom of the 4x1" board. Considerations would be spacing (depends how tight the curves are on your horseshoe - you'll get a feel for this once you start trying to bend the 4x1" board) and depth (if your clay is 300mm down then 500mm deep warratahs might not be quite enough? Depends how hard your topsoil is)

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#2202852 21-Mar-2019 13:43

nickb800:

You just need appropriate posts for the ground conditions - it's definitely feasible to vertical and horizontal movement.

I've seen the old thread now - as I said there, if failure is not an option for you, then go for steel warraths. Easily driven into your deep clay base with a sledgehammer. Then tek screw them to the top and bottom of the 4x1" board. Considerations would be spacing (depends how tight the curves are on your horseshoe - you'll get a feel for this once you start trying to bend the 4x1" board) and depth (if your clay is 300mm down then 500mm deep warratahs might not be quite enough? Depends how hard your topsoil is)

Thanks for that. The back lawn is larger than that pic I linked above, so the curve is less. 4X1 would bend that much quite easily. What did you think about my twin horizontal nail idea? I was thinking if that was done it would be impossible for me to lift the timber vertically as too much resistance by the nails.

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#2202880 21-Mar-2019 15:27

I like the bricks on edge idea. Might work if you put some crusher dust (the stuff more like builder's sand) under it.

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#2202886 21-Mar-2019 15:43

JayADee: I like the bricks on edge idea. Might work if you put some crusher dust (the stuff more like builder's sand) under it.

One of my MANY ideas. I could use that plastic vertical pegged border they have, to stablise the edge, and do crusher dust and 40mm thick bricks on the lawn side of the edge, down to topsoil level

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#2202899 21-Mar-2019 16:06

That sounds really nice. From a googled image I saved once:

I've used them in a few places, bricks and pavers, on edge.

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#2202915 21-Mar-2019 17:18

Re soil nails - if there's enough bow in the wood to pull wooden stakes out of clay then I don't think those nails would stop it. If they were constantly applying pressure on the topsoil/lawn roots then they would eventually yield

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#2202917 21-Mar-2019 17:26

Can you borrow a concrete mixer and some boxing? Curbing makes a clean edge that never warps etc.

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