In article ,
Sonny wrote:

On Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 11:36:25 AM UTC-5, Swingman wrote:
, HerHusband wrote:


I wouldn't waste my time with fillers or stabilizers. If you want it to
last, replace the posts.

Yeah, I was hoping for an easy out, an easy fix, but I figured there was none.

I can't tell for sure from the pictures, but the one that has the propane
tank looks like the bottom of the post may have already been replaced at
some point. About a foot from the bottom the grain doesn't line up.

No previous repairs. It's all one continuous post, salvaged hand hewn beams.
Those misalignments are the result of the hewn marks, when squaring the beam.

This, nuff said.

KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

I need to figure out how to seal the bottoms. I don't recall sealing the
bottoms, when initially installed. We just treated the faces as best we
could, once installed. It'll be major reconstruction to replace the beams.
About the only part not attached to the other framing menbers is just inside
the exterior walls... we packed the uneven cracks with backer rods, rather
than using caulk. Maybe this spacing, though packed, was deficient,
allowing moisture to enter, but there is no evidence of moisture damage along
the walls (that we can see), just at the bottom of the beams. No eveidence
of moisture entrance on the inside of the room.

Seal with thinned varnish, in two or three applications.

But more important is a way to block wicking, so that dampness in
whatever the post rests upon cannot creep up the post over time. They
make special cast aluminum post bottoms for this purpose. One can also
make one from metal stock.

Joe Gwinn