Thread: Thicknesser for doing bulk decking boards

I ain't an expert but my inclination, if joists are level and at about 450 centres, would be to install the decking straight off the saw and let it dry in situ. Be prepared to tidy up any trip hazards with sander or plane as they develop then in a year consider an overall sand. Take into account other threads that discuss the pros and cons of various nails and screws as you may be punching or replacing some down the track if sanding. Use a water blaster on it a week before sanding to get rid of grit.

Plenty of verandahs were straight off saw in the bush. Lots of them end up with so much 'stuff' on them that people don't notice the floor for long. City decks are different! Consider leaving at least a 1 mm space between boards even if green, especially if wet or humid or if your area is prone to tremors. We had a tremor here recently when 30 year old boards were tight after rain and a few popped up! Good underfloor ventilation would help. Probably good to check end grain so that boards all tend to cup the same way?

Would it be out of the question to lay the rough sawn decking. Then in a year when it has dried. level it off with a floor sander?
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Looking at using blackbutt and tallowwood as that is what grows here on the property , the only reason to thickness was to make the board size more uniform thickness , and then to plane off the corners to stop splinters.

Was going to screw decking down that way it leaves room to sand later on and use a thicker than std board to help alleviate cupping maybe 130x35 boards.

I looked at the planer moulder but it wont handle a decent cut as it appears to be a hobby unit , also the moulder is a seperate operation to the planer operation so not possible to do both operations in one pass .

To bevel I have decided to make up a fixture and fence on the planer/thicknesser to run the boards through on a 45 deg angle guiding it as it is planed.

The plan at this stage is to cut and sticker the boards and let dry for a few months before planing and beveling , and only do the immediate needed decking between the two houses this way and see how it turns out . , the if it seems to hold up then do the rest of the houses.

Just need to work out what thicknesser to buy.

Good luck to you Berrigan, I am also doing a similar thing with decking here in SA but using macrocarpa cypress as it is under a verandah and milling the timber also with a Lucas. I recently bought a Durden thicknesser for $400 after looking at the carbatec machines and the price was a fair bit more than what I spent on the old Durden. The machine is only a 12.5" cut but weighs about half a ton- literally, and has a four blade cutter head which takes a bit of setting up with no instructions or guides, but after a good cleanup and sharpen of the blades it handles machining 6" boards straight off the mill with no problems at all. I have taken a 4mm cut with it and it didn't seem to budge so maybe look for a older machine that is built similar? I used a small Veritas low angle block plane to take off the corners which works well, but like you I like the idea of a radius on the corners but that may have to wait till next time unless I come across a easy way of doing it?! I did come across a pretty cool machine in the states which used a standard 15" thicknesser with two routers mounted to the out feed table that did act as a mini 3 header and they implied that it worked to achieve the same outcome so that it dressed the sides as well as the top and accepted any 1/2" router bits so in theory you could make any profile you desired. I will try to find the info for you if you are interested?
It is true what others have said about 4 headers and the like they are the machine to have if you want to do it quick and very consistent, but like you I am also trying to do it yourself as seem to have everything but the magical dollar to pay someone to do it! However Todds machinery in Albury did have a couple of 4 & 6 head machines for sale at a very reasonable price sometime ago but you will need a fair it of space to run them if you wanted to go down that path?!

The timber that was left for 2-3 months has been the best to lay-but sometimes time is against you and the fresh cut stuff has not been so bad sofar- ill let you know in a few months!
I used to run a sawmill in the Riverina Nsw and I know a lot of the flooring/decking boards we used to cut were laid straight off the saw and nearly every verandah I saw came up a treat-but using native cypress which has to be used green otherwise every fixing needs to be predrilled. Most verandas were laid tight and once the timber had seasoned they ended with a pretty uniform gap of 2-3mm, but as one old fella told me and someone here has already mentioned it, keep all your smiley faces frowing so all the boards that will cup will shed the water/dust/dirt etc rather than hold it. Hope that helps you somewhat but stick with it- the result is worth it!!! Cheers

Just need to work out what thicknesser to buy.

Berrigan

are you sure your thicknesser is limited to a 0.5mm cut?
based on the unit's spec, specifically the 4 blade cutter head and 280kg mass, I'd expect the max depth of cut to be more like 5mm than 0.5mm
it would definitely pay to check

If you are running the unit off a gen set, the genny mmight not be putting out enough amps.


Rather than trying to talk you out of processing your own decking boards, can I at least get you to become very safety conscious.
with green boards there is significant risk that the dust shoot will frequently clog with chips.
when the shoot does clog there will be an almost overwhelming urge to shove your hand up the shoot to clear it WITHOUT FIRST TURNING THE MACHINE OFF
please keep this in mind and work out what procedures you need to follow so you don't ever shove your hand up the shoot.