Hi,

I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers. I'm very interested in corresponding with anyone who would like to, or has done something similar.

Thanks

I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers. I'm very interested in
corresponding with anyone who would like to, or has done something
similar.
Are you planning to use the oak for a frame, or make the walls out of
solid oak ? You will have to comply with regs for insulation etc., but
I suppose you won't have to paint the outside !
Simon.

"cantorthomas" wrote in message
...


I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

What on earth is this obsession with railway sleepers all about?
Railway sleepers are 8'6" long, 10" x 5", not made of oak, treated, and
often have three dirty great holes bored near each end. They are thus
singularly unsuited to most of the purposes people now try to dream up
for them.

Could have been worse, I suppose: the OP could have wanted to use
secondhand ones: "What's that black stuff oozing out of the ceiling,
daddy? Oh, it's just old creosote - and the brown stuff is errm..."


--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g. )***
Car Transport by Tiltbed Trailer - based near Derby

In message , Autolycus
writes

"cantorthomas" wrote in message
...


I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

What on earth is this obsession with railway sleepers all about?
Railway sleepers are 8'6" long, 10" x 5", not made of oak, treated, and
often have three dirty great holes bored near each end.

You can nowadays get oak 'sleepers' - basically big bits of oak in a
(roughly anyway) sleeper size. Presumably for people who want to use
them in gardening type projects.

But why someone would want to build an extension out of them....

--
Chris French

Much better to use bits of rapidly grown softwood, kiln slag & cement
blocks, and thin layers of gypsum slurry sandwiched between paper....

"Phil" wrote in message
ups.com...
Much better to use bits of rapidly grown softwood, kiln slag & cement
blocks, and thin layers of gypsum slurry sandwiched between paper....

you forgot to add - "roughly nailed together and covered in gypsum slurry
slap to make it look good and hide any blemishes, all standing on a sawdust
and glue floor"


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

Bob Mannix wrote:
"Phil" wrote in message
ups.com...
Much better to use bits of rapidly grown softwood, kiln slag & cement
blocks, and thin layers of gypsum slurry sandwiched between paper....

you forgot to add - "roughly nailed together and covered in gypsum slurry
slap to make it look good and hide any blemishes, all standing on a sawdust
and glue floor"


LOL!

But does it really sound any worse than "a bit of stuff we dug out of
the ground mixed with cow ****, horse hair and straw and left to dry in
the sun, built on a few odd rocks we found lying around and a bit of
sawdust (no glue) to cover the bare earth floor, roof made of dried
plant material that you had better not let catch fire"?

MBQ

Autolycus wrote:
"cantorthomas" wrote...
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

What on earth is this obsession with railway sleepers all about? Railway
sleepers are 8'6" long, 10" x 5"

You can get different sizes. You can also cut them down.


not made of oak

You can get new oak sleepers.


treated

You can get untreated new oak sleepers


and often
have three dirty great holes bored near each end. They are thus
singularly unsuited to most of the purposes people now try to dream up
for them.

Good source of new green oak, I should say. I've no idea whether
it's cheaper elsewhere, but I'd guess probably not much.

Chris Bacon wrote:
Autolycus wrote:
"cantorthomas" wrote...
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

What on earth is this obsession with railway sleepers all about? Railway
sleepers are 8'6" long, 10" x 5"

You can get different sizes.

Narrow gauge?

You can also cut them down.


not made of oak

You can get new oak sleepers.


New railway sleepers are not made of oak, they're often concrete these
days.


treated

You can get untreated new oak sleepers

Then they're not railway sleepers.

MBQ

manatbandq wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
Autolycus wrote:
"cantorthomas" wrote...
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.
What on earth is this obsession with railway sleepers all about? Railway
sleepers are 8'6" long, 10" x 5"

You can get different sizes.
Narrow gauge?

Dunno. Sleepers come in different lengths, for NG (so poss. yes),
and for points, etc.

You can also cut them down.

not made of oak

You can get new oak sleepers.

New railway sleepers are not made of oak, they're often concrete these
days.

See below.


treated

You can get untreated new oak sleepers

Then they're not railway sleepers.

Google: new green oak sleeper

Good source of new green oak, I should say. I've no idea whether
it's cheaper elsewhere, but I'd guess probably not much.
That's the point of these "sleepers". They are a cheap source of oak.
They make a good if rustic fire surround.
I'm not sure why they are cheap. Anyone know ?
Simon.

In article ,
cantorthomas wrote:
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

Where would you get new oak sleepers? Sleepers have been concrete for many
a year.

--
*I was once a millionaire but my mom gave away my baseball cards

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

In article ,
cantorthomas wrote:
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900 end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

Where would you get new oak sleepers? Sleepers have been concrete for many
a year.

There is at least one place (whose name escapes me) based in
Nottinghamshire that does wood sleepers both new and used from all
over the world. Concrete might be common in developed countries but
wood is still widely used.


--

http://www.rbsoak.co.uk/railwaysleepers.html

Quite a few if you google.
Simon.

wrote:

http://www.rbsoak.co.uk/railwaysleepers.html

Quite a few if you google.

Found the one I was thinking of:

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/KFrailwaysleepers.htm


--

On 2005-10-21, chris French wrote:

You can nowadays get oak 'sleepers' - basically big bits of oak in a
(roughly anyway) sleeper size. Presumably for people who want to use
them in gardening type projects.

yes, I've seen them. They seem to be trendy around here to use as
front garden gate-posts. Every single one I have seen has developed
huge splits that appear to severely damage their integrity.
(not properly weathered?)

Pete

--
.................................................. .........................
.. never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
.. in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
.. doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................

In article ,
Matt wrote:
Where would you get new oak sleepers? Sleepers have been concrete for
many a year.

There is at least one place (whose name escapes me) based in
Nottinghamshire that does wood sleepers both new and used from all
over the world.

Right.

Concrete might be common in developed countries but
wood is still widely used.

I can see that if it's locally sourced and plentiful. But in the UK
perhaps only used for those 'period' lines?

--
*Money isn't everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article .com,
says...

Bob Mannix wrote:
"Phil" wrote in message
ups.com...
Much better to use bits of rapidly grown softwood, kiln slag & cement
blocks, and thin layers of gypsum slurry sandwiched between paper....

you forgot to add - "roughly nailed together and covered in gypsum slurry
slap to make it look good and hide any blemishes, all standing on a sawdust
and glue floor"


LOL!

But does it really sound any worse than "a bit of stuff we dug out of
the ground mixed with cow ****, horse hair and straw and left to dry in
the sun, built on a few odd rocks we found lying around and a bit of
sawdust (no glue) to cover the bare earth floor, roof made of dried
plant material that you had better not let catch fire"?

It doesn't sound much (any?) better :-)

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Matt
saying something like:

wrote:

http://www.rbsoak.co.uk/railwaysleepers.html

Quite a few if you google.

Found the one I was thinking of:

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/KFrailwaysleepers.htm

"Wooden railway sleepers have been used for centuries for railway lines
to fasten to."

Aye. Those Norman railways were a bugger.
--

Dave

In article ,
says...
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Matt
saying something like:

wrote:

http://www.rbsoak.co.uk/railwaysleepers.html

Quite a few if you google.

Found the one I was thinking of:

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/KFrailwaysleepers.htm

"Wooden railway sleepers have been used for centuries for railway lines
to fasten to."

Aye. Those Norman railways were a bugger.

There were railways before there were locomotives, and even if you're
only talking about powered use that's most of the nineteenth and all of
the twentieth century, plus a little bit of the twenty-first.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
cantorthomas wrote:
I plan to build a 10ft x 10ft extension at the back of my 1900
end of
terrace, using new, untreated oak sleepers.

Where would you get new oak sleepers? Sleepers have been concrete
for many
a year.


Only for 'normal' track, special track sections, points and crossings
still use wood sleepers (but they tend to be both wider and longer
than normal sleepers.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Matt wrote:
snip

Concrete might be common in developed countries but
wood is still widely used.

I can see that if it's locally sourced and plentiful. But in the UK
perhaps only used for those 'period' lines?


You mean 'preserved' lines, both seem to use wood within the station
area, but many now use second-hand concrete sleepers out in the
country.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Rob Morley
saying something like:

"Wooden railway sleepers have been used for centuries for railway lines
to fasten to."

Aye. Those Norman railways were a bugger.

There were railways before there were locomotives, and even if you're
only talking about powered use that's most of the nineteenth and all of
the twentieth century, plus a little bit of the twenty-first.

Yes, but why let the facts get in the way of a dig? 'For centuries'
makes it sound like several centuries.
--

Dave

In article ,
says...
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Rob Morley
saying something like:

"Wooden railway sleepers have been used for centuries for railway lines
to fasten to."

Aye. Those Norman railways were a bugger.

There were railways before there were locomotives, and even if you're
only talking about powered use that's most of the nineteenth and all of
the twentieth century, plus a little bit of the twenty-first.

Yes, but why let the facts get in the way of a dig? 'For centuries'
makes it sound like several centuries.

So 19th, 20th, 21st doesn't constitute "several"?

I know what you mean though - sounds more like wooden ships or Roman
aqueducts than oily bits of wood that have been marinated in excrement.
:-)

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Rob Morley
saying something like:

"Wooden railway sleepers have been used for centuries for railway lines
to fasten to."

Aye. Those Norman railways were a bugger.

There were railways before there were locomotives, and even if you're
only talking about powered use that's most of the nineteenth and all of
the twentieth century, plus a little bit of the twenty-first.

Yes, but why let the facts get in the way of a dig? 'For centuries'
makes it sound like several centuries.

There were no rails but they recently found a timber surfaced trackway
in the north dating back to the iron ages (circa 5000 years old)


--

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Matt
saying something like:

Yes, but why let the facts get in the way of a dig? 'For centuries'
makes it sound like several centuries.

There were no rails but they recently found a timber surfaced trackway
in the north dating back to the iron ages (circa 5000 years old)

I wonder just how many people in how many ages have come up with
brilliant ideas, only for them to be forgotten and re-invented centuries
later in some other place.

We're incredibly lucky; we have a huge technological base to work from,
and for centuries now have had fairly reliable knowledge bases. Earlier
folks, who were just as bright as us, had to make do with wood, stone,
fibre, mud and (if they were lucky) a bit of metal for making things
from, and their ideas usually died with them.
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Rob Morley
saying something like:

I know what you mean though - sounds more like wooden ships or Roman
aqueducts than oily bits of wood that have been marinated in excrement.

"Buy a piece of history; a hundred years of ****e."
--

Dave

I'd not say I am obsessed with oak sleepers & I've considered brick, timber frame options. The sleepers I have sourced are new, untreated and oak and cost £20 a piece (220cm lond, 25 wide). Cut to shape the extension will fit together like a lincoln cabin (lego-like).

there are many sites on the web selling sleepers - e.g.

www.sleeper-supplies.co.uk
www.justsleepers.com
www.railwaysleeper.com