deck work ---- good/bad wood

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  • durango dude
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2011
    • 934
    • a thousand or so feet above insanity
    • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

    deck work ---- good/bad wood

    I want to double-check my thinking, with those more formidably endowed with wood knowledge.

    More of a carpentry question than a woodworking question ---- but guys ---- I'm rusty.

    My "new" place has a nice 15x20 deck on it.

    There's some problems with the wood, though.

    The wood used on a top cap rail (lays flat) is bowing. Whoever built the deck, did it with nails and bad wood.

    Here's what the grain of the cap rail looks like.

    The rail bows. The last 5 feet of a 15' rail curves up toward the sky. One side of the rail bows up roughly 6 inches ---- yanking nails out with it.
    I suppose I can get out the circular saw and do some relief cuts.

    The rail runs 15 feet ----- so it's really kind of unreasonable to to expect that entire length to run flat.

    Option A:
    - relief cuts

    Option B - replace Top rail.
    - I think I'd look for a different grain pattern, and install an 8 and 7 foot length.


    Last edited by durango dude; 09-28-2017, 12:20 PM.
  • atgcpaul
    Veteran Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 4055
    • Maryland
    • Grizzly 1023SLX

    #2
    Is the board bowed its whole length or cupped across its width?

    It's not a huge deck, so I would probably replace that top cap with a composite rather than wood.

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    • organicot
      Forum Newbie
      • Feb 2018
      • 8

      #3
      Our deck is in a similar shape with the ends bowing up, how does one cap the top with composite.. are there sites or links to get instructions?

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