I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called Ultraboard form Menards.

I filled newspaper delivery plastic bags with the sawdust. Today, I started fire (first for the season) in our heatolater fireplace. Once it was burning well, I put a newspaper bag of sawdust in the middle of th fire and it burned quite well. No a roaring fire, but definitely more flames that the wood underneath the bag would produce. I could see little rivulates (of plastic?) running out of the unburned sawdust just before the flames ignited that particular area of the sawdust. I will have to see if there is much resideue left when I take out the ashes tomorrow, but it sure seens like it is burning fairly cleanly, and I am definitely getting additional heat from the fireplace with the plasticized sawdust.

The firebox is completely separate airwise from the room air circulating so I don't have to worry about any noxious fumes from the plastic. The only thing is what it might do to the chimney in terms of soot/creosote build-up..

On Sat, 2 Nov 2013 14:16:54 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called Ultraboard form Menards.

I filled newspaper delivery plastic bags with the sawdust. Today, I started fire (first for the season) in our heatolater fireplace. Once it was burning well, I put a newspaper bag of sawdust in the middle of th fire and it burned quite well. No a roaring fire, but definitely more flames that the wood underneath the bag would produce. I could see little rivulates (of plastic?) running out of the unburned sawdust just before the flames ignited that particular area of the sawdust. I will have to see if there is much resideue left when I take out the ashes tomorrow, but it sure seens like it is burning fairly cleanly, and I am definitely getting additional heat from the fireplace with the plasticized sawdust.

The firebox is completely separate airwise from the room air circulating so I don't have to worry about any noxious fumes from the plastic. The only thing is what it might do to the chimney in terms of soot/creosote build-up.

It probably contains bromides to retard burning so it would need help
from the rest of the fire.

Given the separate firebox, you won't have noxious fumes, instead, you
let them drift to the neighbors. How nice of you. Some plastics do
burn cleanly, others do give off nasty odor.

Plastics generally contain a lot of heat energy. Many years ago where
I worked, we disposed of the plastic rejects in the trash. The local
incinerator like it because they helped wet soggy trash to burn. They
used to much one time and burned out the grates.

It won't have creosote, but it may have soot. Not burned properly, it
could have lots of soot.

" wrote:
I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for
reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called
Ultraboard form Menards.

I filled newspaper delivery plastic bags with the sawdust. Today, I
started fire (first for the season) in our heatolater fireplace. Once it
was burning well, I put a newspaper bag of sawdust in the middle of th
fire and it burned quite well. No a roaring fire, but definitely more
flames that the wood underneath the bag would produce. I could see
little rivulates (of plastic?) running out of the unburned sawdust just
before the flames ignited that particular area of the sawdust. I will
have to see if there is much resideue left when I take out the ashes
tomorrow, but it sure seens like it is burning fairly cleanly, and I am
definitely getting additional heat from the fireplace with the plasticized sawdust.

The firebox is completely separate airwise from the room air circulating
so I don't have to worry about any noxious fumes from the plastic. The
only thing is what it might do to the chimney in terms of soot/creosote build-up.

Is the bench finished?

A couple of us wondered about the flexible nature of Trex-like materials,
especially since you ripped it into narrower slats than the original wood
used for the bench.

So tell us, is there any sag in the bench when you sit on it?

The bench is finished. It isn't at all bouncy since the slats are quite close together. I'll send you a picture tomorrow after the sun comes back up, too dark to get a decent photo tonight.

The biggest work was to bend the arm rests to match the framework. I had the old armrests to use as a form. I ended up heating up the new armrests to about 190 degrees and then clamping them to the original armrests to shape them.

" wrote:
The bench is finished. It isn't at all bouncy since the slats are quite
close together. I'll send you a picture tomorrow after the sun comes
back up, too dark to get a decent photo tonight.

The biggest work was to bend the arm rests to match the framework. I had
the old armrests to use as a form. I ended up heating up the new
armrests to about 190 degrees and then clamping them to the original
armrests to shape them.

Clamping them side by side or one on top of the other?

Seems like side by side would be the only way to duplicate all the bend
radii.

On 11/2/2013 5:16 PM, wrote:
I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called Ultraboard form Menards.

I filled newspaper delivery plastic bags with the sawdust. Today, I started fire (first for the season) in our heatolater fireplace. Once it was burning well, I put a newspaper bag of sawdust in the middle of th fire and it burned quite well. No a roaring fire, but definitely more flames that the wood underneath the bag would produce. I could see little rivulates (of plastic?) running out of the unburned sawdust just before the flames ignited that particular area of the sawdust. I will have to see if there is much resideue left when I take out the ashes tomorrow, but it sure seens like it is burning fairly cleanly, and I am definitely getting additional heat from the fireplace with the plasticized sawdust.

The firebox is completely separate airwise from the room air circulating so I don't have to worry about any noxious fumes from the plastic. The only thing is what it might do to the chimney in terms of soot/creosote build-up.


Should be safe to burn in a fireplace.

Although MSDS says there can be noxious fumes, there are noxious fumes
from burning anything and MSDS says it is mostly wood and polyethylene:

http://www.trex.com/trex/groups/cont...rex_003529.pdf

On Saturday, November 2, 2013 10:15:54 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
" wrote: The bench is finished. It isn't at all bouncy since the slats are quite close together. I'll send you a picture tomorrow after the sun comes back up, too dark to get a decent photo tonight. The biggest work was to bend the arm rests to match the framework. I had the old armrests to use as a form. I ended up heating up the new armrests to about 190 degrees and then clamping them to the original armrests to shape them. Clamping them side by side or one on top of the other? Seems like side by side would be the only way to duplicate all the bend radii.

On top of the originals was close enough. Going to take a photo, will post later today.

Here is a photo of the conpleted bench. Quite comfortable, great for sitting on while opening the afternoon mail or reading the newspaper.

http://i1360.photobucket.com/albums/...psa91c662a.jpg

wrote:
I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for
reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called
Ultraboard form Menards.

I filled newspaper delivery plastic bags with the sawdust. Today, I
started fire (first for the season) in our heatolater fireplace.
Once it was burning well, I put a newspaper bag of sawdust in the
middle of th fire and it burned quite well. No a roaring fire, but
definitely more flames that the wood underneath the bag would
produce. I could see little rivulates (of plastic?) running out of
the unburned sawdust just before the flames ignited that particular
area of the sawdust. I will have to see if there is much resideue
left when I take out the ashes tomorrow, but it sure seens like it is
burning fairly cleanly, and I am definitely getting additional heat
from the fireplace with the plasticized sawdust.

The firebox is completely separate airwise from the room air
circulating so I don't have to worry about any noxious fumes from the
plastic. The only thing is what it might do to the chimney in terms
of soot/creosote build-up.

Burning plastics can even make dioxins.
http://woodheat.org/poison.html

wrote:
I generated a lot of sawdust when I cut up the Trex-like material for
reboarding my park style front porch bench. I used a product called
Ultraboard form Menards.

All I find under that name is a foam filled panel for signs, and a search for it
at menards site finds nothing. Can you verufy the name is Ultraboard?

My bad. I should have said/written "ultradeck".

Photo of bench now available. See previous post.

" wrote:
Here is a photo of the conpleted bench. Quite comfortable, great for
sitting on while opening the afternoon mail or reading the newspaper.

http://i1360.photobucket.com/albums/...psa91c662a.jpg

It looks good.

How did you attach the slats? As far as I can tell from the pictures, the
bolts don't align with the end supports.

Did you use some kind of L bracket?

It looks good.

How did you attach the slats? As far as I can tell from the pictures, the
bolts don't align with the end supports.

Did you use some kind of L bracket?

Thanks for the nice comment. It doesn't show in the photo, but there were U-shaped tabs on the brackets extending outward from the main supports for each of the slats, that is what the stainless steel bolts go thru.

wrote in message
...


the Trex-like material for reboarding my park style front porch bench.
http://i1360.photobucket.com/albums/...psa91c662a.jpg

Front Porch Bench looks good
For being made of
Wood Fiber 50-60
Polyethylene 40-50
9002-88-4 Carbon Black

Solubility in Water: Negligible

As we say in Houston
Now you need to Paint it

Maintaining Transcend and Select Railing
""NEVER"" use acetone or other solvents on Trex
Transcend and Select railing to maintain the beauty of the surface.

For color transfer issues (from attachment of baluster spacer),
use Mr. Clean®, Magic Eraser® Original***
or Magic Eraser® Extra Power to help remove this.

For small surface scratches, marks or scuffs,
use Dupli-Color Scratch SealT Clear Sealer Pen.****