# Working with pressure-treated cedar



## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

Hey guys - I'm a complete newbie at this woodworking stuff, but I'm excited to try. First up, I need to keep my dog out of the garden bed so I'm raising it. Today I bought eight 5/8" cedar fence pickets (5.5"x6 feet) and a 4x4x8' pressure-treated cedar post from Home Depot. 

The plan is to cut either a dovetail or straight groove down two sides of the post to accept the ends of the cedar planks (cut to match, if I go with the dovetail). The posts will go into the ground to make the four corners of a simple raised garden bed.

Thing is, the cedar post felt awfully moist. Is there any need to wait for it to dry or something before I cut into it? Also, is pressure-treated cedar still just as decay-resistant after I've cut into it? 

Oh, and if anyone wants to comment on my garden bed design, I'm open to suggestions...especially inexpensive ones.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Pressure treating doesn't go right thru. Best to paint any cuts or drilled holes with end cut preservative. It's pretty cheap as a rule.


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## PawPawRay (Apr 5, 2009)

Just completed 5 raised beds like the ones you described. Only difference, I used 2 x 4 instead of 4 x 4. Routed a grove on them on the router table. The small side is a little thin and several cracked when I put the screws in to hold them together. The last one I didn't route, just attached the face boards to the 2 x 4s and it proves to be a stronger bond. Good luck with your garden.
Paw Paw Ray


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## krablins (Sep 23, 2011)

It was never mentioned what kind of garden it was that you were working with and my first thought was a vegetable garden. If that is the case I wouldn't suggest using any type of pressure treated lumber due to the chemicals being released into the soil around the garden. Even though they say that it's getting safer I'm not using it around garden until they say it's 100% safe.


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## beemor (Feb 29, 2012)

*treated wood & veggie garden*



krablins said:


> It was never mentioned what kind of garden it was that you were working with and my first thought was a vegetable garden. If that is the case I wouldn't suggest using any type of pressure treated lumber due to the chemicals being released into the soil around the garden. Even though they say that it's getting safer I'm not using it around garden until they say it's 100% safe.


YES: the lovely garden that came with my house is totally unsafe for eatibles. The people before burned treated wood and dumped the ashes on the veggie garden. Soil testing said DON'T use for food stuff. This also goes for the old tires/mini-gardens that people plant tomatoes etc in - big no-no.


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

I made a window box out of 4/4 cedar abiout three years ago. We filled it with soil and planted stuff in it, and it has not shown any sign of rot. It was not pressure=treated.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Instead of grooving the 4x4 to fit the cedar why not sandwich the cedar board between two 3/4" strips run the length of the post.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi Danella; you probably already know this but the current ACQ pressure treatment is highly corrosive to fasteners. If you want to use screws you need to buy the ones specifically for use with PT wood...usually referred to as decking screws, or stainless steel.
Hot galvanized nails are approved, although my experience is that they do corrode somewhat.
On 'mgmine's' suggestion, if you're using 2"x planks with full 4"x4" posts, you could rip some 1"x1" strips, bumping up the strength of the cleats somewhat.


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## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

Thanks for the warnings about the chemicals. It is in fact for a veggie garden. Guess I'll grab an untreated cedar post and use the PT for a little dog fence I need in the back. 

mgmine: that's probably a smart way to save time, but I just bought my first router and I wanna use it!


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## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

Oh, can anyone comment on the wetness of the wood? For rough applications where shrink or warping aren't a concern, is it any problem to dive right into the wood straigh from the store? Thanks.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*All Wet*



nematode said:


> Oh, can anyone comment on the wetness of the wood? For rough applications where shrink or warping aren't a concern, is it any problem to dive right into the wood straigh from the store? Thanks.


I use a lot of cedar (the local mill is less than a mile away) and I don't recommend routing the really wet stuff. The shrinkage is substantial! Also the wet sawdust clogs up the tooling. The good news is that the Cedar will dry very quickly...do not leave it in the sun, however. Sticker the pile and give it lots of air circulation; a week or 10 days will make a huge difference.
I usually try and keep a few boards on hand that have been air dried for a long time...I run them through the planer, giving me lovely clean material for projects.
Cheers,
-Dan


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## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> do not leave it in the sun, however.


Whoops! With 90 degrees yesterday and today, I thought it made perfect sense to stick it out where it was as fully exposed as possible. Rookie mistake...


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

If your dog likes to chew on wood, as both of mine do, don't use PT for a doggie enclosure. :nono: Also, keep it away from children.


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

Funny, right after I said that, I found that my Shepherd puppy has chewed up one of the stringers on my chair, and completely shredded my latest copy of _WOOD._


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

nematode said:


> Whoops! With 90 degrees yesterday and today, I thought it made perfect sense to stick it out where it was as fully exposed as possible. Rookie mistake...


Hey, Trevor; the heat's not the issue, it's the radiant energy from the Sun that'll dry it out too fast ...cover it with a blue or green tarp. Just enough to keep the Sun off it; you still need the air circ.!!!
Good luck,
-Dan


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

...or a couple of pieces of scrap plywood.


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## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

Ok, thanks for the tip. I have a 3-foot gap that runs east-west between my shed and my detached garage that's lined with rock. I could probably stick stuff in there and it would get plenty of heat without much sun (only because as a brand new homeowner I haven't got much in the way of scrap anything yet...all in good time...).


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Perfect,Trevor...but don't let the rain get at it!


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## nematode (Mar 8, 2012)

Of course you would say that just as our two days of 90-degree heat is ending with an unexpected thunderstorm. (Unexpected by me, but apparently known to the weather service... 

Thankfully, as I headed over to the aforementioned gap, I noticed I had plenty of room in the shed itself. So the ol' not-safe-to-use-in-my-garden-PT-post is safe after all.


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