Where do you buy timbers??

I've been looking for some timbers, and can't find any locally other than the 4"is flat top/bottom with rounded edges. I am looking for something more like a rough cut 6by. Some people want me to build a wall with something like this, as their neighbor has one, and they think it looks good. I'd rather do something in stone, but can't convince them. So, where can I look and what else do I need to know about them?? is the wood treated?? with what??
thanks

 

down here I have used and seen Creosote and Pressure treated Wood for retaining walls.

The Pressure treated come 6x6 from the local Lumber store.

The Creosote lumber I got from the CN Rail Yard (train). I think they were a 6x8 or 8x8 and the 14 footers were heavy as heck.

Both woods are chemically treated and may be banned in some places now. The creosote is very dirty to the touch but will last a very long time.

I wouldn't use a non treated wood, it won't last long if touching the ground.

 

Railroad ties will not hold up as long as pressure treated will, RR ties are meant to be set on a stone bed, not be in contact with soil.

As for 6x6's, any decent lumber yard ought to have them. Lowe's/Home Depot does....


Dan

 

Home Depot $13.97 a piece

 

$13.97 with what type of treatment?? Also, are they 'rough cut'?? Any of you ever use these on walls?? I am wanting to get into some stone work and I'm trying to convince them against wood, but they ain't havin' none. If you guys have any pics of walls with these 6by's send some over. I'm gonna try to get a pic. over the weekend of the area to be walled, maybe you can give your opinions, but I think continuing with the pavestone they have in the front of the house would look a ton better, but since I'm not paying for it I guess it's up to them. I don't want to sound like more of an idiot, but how do you hold them together??

 

you run tiebacks at a 90 degree angle from the wall.

Then you run Deadmen onto the Tiebacks. The Deadmen run parallel with the wall.

THen you backfill. Include proper drainage and compaction.

Its pretty simple. Just remember when you build this kind of wall
you have to dig back far enough from the wall for the Tiebacks to support the height of the wall.

You ever notice on a good wall that there seems to be the end of a 6x6 or 8x8 every so often. Those are the tiebacks.

If you dont include the tiebacks and deadmen your wall will fall over or lean within a few years.

Galvanized spiral Spikes. (big nails)

 

Just a quick suggestion. A couple of years ago I started using 8" TimberLok screws instead of spikes. The labor/time savings is incredible.

 

I second the suggestion to use timber screws rather than spikes. It IS a huge time saver, not to mention that they, by design, will not work back out of the timber like a spike eventually will. Yes, they cost a little more than a spike, but you more than make up for it in time.

For a spike you need to pre-drill, or the spike will tend to "wander" out of the front or back of the timber as you drive it. You don't need to do that for the screws.

Use a 1/2" drill to drive the screws, you may have good luck soaping the threads before driving them. I doubt a normal 3/8" drill would handle 8" screws. Some cheaper 1/2" drills may not.

I don't know what you mean by "rough" cut. I don't think I've ever seen a rough cut 6x6. The only thing that comes close is a RR tie, and like I've said, you don't want to use those.

Here's a picture of a 6x6 wall that I did with a few buddies while in school. This is the finished wall. I'll post some more pics of how it went together. It's five courses tall (above grade), with a base course of two 4x6's side by side. I don't remember why we did that for sure, but we did. It has a deadman in it, though it's not visible from the front. I'll post a pic of how that went in as well.


Dan

 

This is the base. You can see the 4x6's in this one. It's probably easier just to use a 6x6 instead of two 4x6's. Like I said, I don't remember why we did it this way....


Dan

 

Sorry, double posted.......