I am looking for wood to construct a G gauge trestle and tunnel portals for a garden RR. I am looking for, pressure treated wood, cedar or other. I’ve been to Loews/Home Depot and can only find 1x2 and 2x2 pieces. I want 1x1 pieces. Must I buy one of the above and have them ripped to size? Is there something that would be available at a garden supply center?
Thanks!
Pete
I would suggest Redwood. Purchase a larger 4x8 or 6x6 then rip it into smaller pieces. Redwood will hold up fantastically and will weather to a nice dark brown if wanted. Should probably still weather-proof it with some wood stain or something.
James
I used short cedar boards from old garden planters and seemed to work fine.
or if you look in the dowel section you can see small square dowels. sure, there cheep but they work. i use them on all my buildings 
Here in Australia we can purchase from hardware stores a plantation timber from Malaysia called Miranti, this comes in good sizes for trestles etc, (12mm=1/2 inch and 19mm=3/4 inch) in lengths of 2.4 metre( 8 foot), once painted with Creosote is extremely weatherproof. I have used this timber extensively on my garden railway for trestles and bridges and tunnel portals etc. (I think I have read that Creosote is now banned In US, perhaps you would have a substitute weather proofer!)
Creosote has been banned in the US for a while now. Also, please be careful of the pressure treated wood called CCA. When you cut it you must wear a mask, otherwise you will inhale the product used to treat the wood which isn’t good. One of the "C"s in CCA is cyanurite, a form or cyanide. Families have been found dead/poisoned after an unsuspecting homeowner used CCA scraps in his home stove.
JP
I, too, would vote for redwood. Look for straight, tight grain. I usually buy 1 x 4s or 1 x 6s and cut my wood from those. At our local lumber yards, I can usually score two or three suitable boards from everything in stock. Good wood is hard to find.
If you are thinking about doing much building, I’d also suggest that you consider getting (and learning to use) a table saw, which is the garden railroader’s most valuable tool.
Does anyone use Juniper wood, I was given quite a bit to build a tressle out of and am curious if anyone has used it on their own layouts.
try using redwood look great!!!
I cut my own Cedar on a 10" tablesaw, I also cut crossties from heart Mississippi pine and then use my own form of creosote to weather protect them. current project is a pivot bridge and i am thinking of using Stainless steel.
Stephen
Another good wood for outdoor use is cypress, if you can get it in your local area.
The Cedar, Cypress and Redwood all sound like good ideas if you want to scratch build. There are of course several pre-fab kits available thru various sources that provide pre-cut and ready for assembly models in a varity of styles.
You can find the source to several of these on the 'Steam In The Garden" site at:
http://www.steamup.com/
Regards,
LDH
Anybody tried Teak?
I have worked with teak a little on some woodworking projects. I am not sure about it for ‘in the dirt’ applications, but I can tell you it is hard on tools and blates.
Some garden supplies stores carry Redwood plant steaks 1/2" X 1/2" X 48" at very reasonable prices. You should treat them with a wood preserver as they will have a lot of the white pith wood in them which is less rot resistant than the red pith. Speaking of table saws, a small band saw is much safer to use than a table saw. Check your local Home Desperate, they usually have 8" Royob band sawa on sale for less than $100.00. Also check with Harbor Freight.
Also take a look at: http://www.rockcreeksouthern.com
This fellow posted on the “Sharing A Website” thread here. His Trestles are all scratch and he shows his methods in well taken photos.
LDH
You might consider using the artificial wood they are now using in “wood” decks
here in always wet Oregon. The material is expensive, but you can rip it to the
size you need and is supposedly will last forever. Most are made of an epoxy resin
with some wood fiber.
I found a Cypress garden trellis at Lowes for less than $10. I took it apart and have 3 pieces 5/8 x 7/8 x6’
2ea 3/8 x7x8 x 28"
3ea 38 x 7x8 x 21" and
4ea 3/8 x 7/8 12"
Might be a little pricey this way but LOwes and Home Depot here have no redwood and very pricey cedar for use.
Wally
A good place to get lumber supplies per cut to scale size. Not to use size but to small strip long lengths, is www.garendtextures.com. They have a large selection of structures as well as scratch building supplies available.
Pete, being a carpenter for fourteen years here is what I know.
Best to less disireble