How to rip sleepers

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gchiu

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#255751 27-Aug-2019 16:45

I want to build some raised beds using Redwood sleepers and roofing iron. The instructions call for 100 X 100 posts but I only see 200 X 100 at Bunnings and they don't rip.

I don't have a bandsaw.

Does anyone do this in Wellington?

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#2306860 27-Aug-2019 16:53

I got some of these the last time they were on sale. If yours are the same as mine, I don't think they will last very long in the ground. They're not treated and are pretty soft. Unless you're going to see them, I'd just use fence posts.

gchiu

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#2306865 27-Aug-2019 17:07

They're not going to be in the ground. They just form the four corners of the raised bed as posts, and the roofing iron is nailed into them. I'll likely elevate the posts on some pavers to keep them off the ground.

This is sort of the plan https://gardengidget.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/raised-planter-beds/

Handle9

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#2306910 27-Aug-2019 18:08

If you really want to use sleepers rather than posts why bother ripping them? They'll still work as 200 x 100.

nickb800

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#2306919 27-Aug-2019 18:45

Will take a pretty grunty band saw to cut that. I'd offer to help with my table saw but with a 254mm blade the max depth of cut is 80mm.

Ruphus

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#2307025 27-Aug-2019 20:25

Will you be filling in the raised beds with compost?

Bung

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#2307065 27-Aug-2019 22:08

Handle9:
If you really want to use sleepers rather than posts why bother ripping them? They'll still work as 200 x 100.

At the price of redwood you'd want them on the outside where they could be seen if you were leaving them whole. Alternatively putting pine fence posts on the outside would also be a way of keeping treated timber out of the garden if that concerned you.

My 210mm circular saw would do it in 2 or 3 passes, just keep the rip guide on the same face when flipping the timber over.

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Journeyman

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#2307092 27-Aug-2019 23:15

Oh man... did anyone else read the title and think this thread was about drugs?

itxtme

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#2307100 28-Aug-2019 00:58

Going off the plan the sleepers are hidden... Dont use sleepers you are waisting your dollars. Use treated pine posts which have been shown to leach at levels safe for human consumption ie. not much

gchiu

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#2307151 28-Aug-2019 09:57

Redwood was chosen since it's a hardwood, but macrocarpa would also work, and so would cedar.

If you want to grow organic certified food then you can't use treated pine regardless of what the science may say.

It's not economic to use the 200x100 as they're fairly expensive. But I guess it's a pain to rip them. Maybe I'll be forced to use them as they are. That would make it $14 per corner instead of $7. ( I think I'll get 3 posts of 26" long out of 2.4m sleepers at $42 per sleeper ). I already have the roofing iron left over from house construction.

And yes, the beds are filled with soil, compost, etc. Macrocarpa against soil lasts about 5 years.

eracode

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#2307158 28-Aug-2019 10:04

Do you have, or can you borrow or hire, a circular saw? I think large ones will cut to 100 mm depth. Mine only goes to about 75mm - so if I want to rip 100 mm, I do one pass, then turn the timber over and make a second pass on the other side. Not hard to do.

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

gchiu

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#2307162 28-Aug-2019 10:10

Good point. Mine can do 60 mm so I can try that.

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mdf

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#2307164 28-Aug-2019 10:18

The redwood I've got cuts niceley (and planes beautifully). Which is why I'm a little concerned about how long it will last in ground.

nickb800

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#2307246 28-Aug-2019 12:39

While you're ripping them down, could you form them into an L -shape (50mm deep cut on two adjacent sides to remove 50x50mm 'slice') and have the wooden L on the outside of the corners? That would reduce contact with soil and hopefully extend the lifespan

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#2307381 28-Aug-2019 15:50

If you really want to use redwood and you're worried about rot, you could also try something like an epoxy sealant on it, or an oil-based sealer, or...

In terms of organicness, if you're using galvanised steel for the walls doesn't that destroy the organicity? I'd also be nervous about how long steel, no matter how it's treated, will last in contact with the ground. Maybe fibrolite?

gchiu

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#2307404 28-Aug-2019 17:04

I was thinking of standing the redwood posts on pavers to keep it off the soil. Or, I could char the bottom of the wood to harden it and prevent rot, and also char the sides in contact with the compost. I have a flame weed killer that I can use to char the wood, and create a torrefied layer.

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