Timber Newsletters from timber technology leaders Outdoor Structures Australia

February 2010 “Decks can kill!”

February Newsletter (250KB PDF)

July 2009 Headlines

• Government Recognises OSA's Advanced Technology
• Technical Note: How to avoid cupped decking
• Changes to Technical Guides
• New Shelters

Government Recognises OSA's Advanced Technology  

What is your perspective of weather exposed timber? Too hard? Too unreliable? It is a common enough story.I recall the words of utter frustration and despair from a landscaper after a timber deck he designed failed “My client is ropeable”. With our help it is neither hard nor unreliable.

Why take the risk of relying on common practice when you can talk to Outdoor Structures Australia instead? OSA is the only Australian company that has advanced and well proven patented technology for decking systems and bollards.

The Advanced Technology Showcase is a joint federal and state government initiative that recognises and promotes advanced technologies.

In the recent state finals for their annual awards there were the “usual suspects“ of computer hardware and software but OSA was also there with a natural product. Please talk to us before and during the design. It makes a big difference.

Technical Note  

How to avoid cupped decking

Image of cupped 200x50 decking

While there are references in the Australian Standards to width to thickness ratios for some structural members, there is no such ratio for decking.

In the past, Deckwood 145x35 was a short-lived member of our Deckwood range. However, after being made aware that it started to show signs of cupping, this size was withdrawn. Its ratio was 4.1:1, just beyond what is justifiably regarded as “the limit”.

Decking of similar ratio cannot be guaranteed to deliver customer satisfaction. We tragically note that there are still some design offices specifying decking at sizes of 140x31 (ratio 4.5:1) This is even more likely to cup. Our experience is that 120x35 is stable (ratio 3.4:1) as is 145x45 (ratio 3.2:1).

Use of unseasoned timber will contribute to cupping due to differential shrinkage between tangential and radial faces but kiln drying your decking does not automatically give you stability. Potential to cup is best addressed/minimized by:

• Using 'stocky' x-sections - breadth to depth ratio 3.5:1 max, or less
• Use of seasoned timber
• Application and maintenance with a water repellant finish
• Good ventilation below the deck

Kiln drying your decking will not effect distortion caused by differential moisture between the hot top and cooler back. Kiln drying also introduces delays, greatly increases the carbon footprint of your project and will not counteract an incorrect width to thickness ratio. Timber is no different to steel and concrete in that there are some rules that you break at your peril. By specifying Deckwood we take care of this for you.

See all Timber Technical Notes »

Changes to Technical Guides  

Our Commercial Barrier Guide is all but complete. This will be an extraordinarily helpful guide. The guide also contains a very useful section on stainless steel wires.

Deckwood Selection Guide Rev 3B has been issued with:

• Additional span chart for 136x42 KD
• Changes to recommendations for finishing
• Slip resistance testing is now available

Boardwalk Design Guide Rev 2B has been issued with:

• A minor change to Fig 25 on Page 17. Please make an amendment to your copy by crossing out the dimensions 10, 20 and 24.

Bollards Traffic Control and Fencing Guide. New and amended pages available are:

• Index
• Page 2.2 Rev B Heavy duty Bollards - new products in the range
• Page 2.4 Rev A Coventry and Warwick range added
• Page 3.3 Rev B Eclipse Bollard - E7 added
• Page 3-4 Rev A Torr and Viking range added

Please contact us if you need a hard copy of the guide. See all Timber Guides »

New Shelters  

Image of Gregory Tripple shelter at Gympie.

Most people, myself included are creatures of habit, and for some readers that includes the shelter sheds they specify.

Why not consider something different such as the Gregory shelter with Pioneer Posts. The triple shelter illustrated above is very different to most shelters you will have used before.

OSA provides very useful tools to assist you in using our products. Have you tried our dynamic blocks yet? With one file you can show any view with any post type and scale the fonts!!

These are only early days for this range but our customers are delighted. While we can supply steel posts, we think the embedded Pioneer Post will outlast light gauge steel any day.

Regards
Ted Stubbersfield, July 2009