[tgm1024]

Quick list to make this as painless as possible:

1. Making firewood holders (made several of them in past....all different sizes).
2. Made with boards on edge (varying dimensions depending)
3. Horizontal bottom board connected to vertical board with 4 stainless steel bolts. (connected via face grain to face grain).
4. If 4 bolts are oriented square with the boards, the top two (and bottom two) can share the same grain and crack. My solution is to rotate the bolting pattern slightly.

Problem:

[FONT=Courier New]           [FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |
  ([/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]heavy)  |       |
  [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New](load )  |       |[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]
           [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
-----------+-------+----+
             #   #      |  <---Crack Potential
                        |
             #   #      |  <---Crack Potential[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]-----------+-------+----+[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]           [FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |
           [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]+-------+[/FONT][/FONT]

Solution:

[FONT=Courier New]           [FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |
  ([/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]heavy)  |       |
  [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New](load )  |       |[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]
           [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
-----------+-------+----+
             #          |
                 #      |
             #          |
                 #      |
[/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]-----------+-------+----+[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]           [FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]|       |
           [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Courier New][FONT=Courier New]+-------+[/FONT][/FONT]

Any other solutions?

 

[carpdad]

I usually do your 2nd option although the bottom board shares the same problem. If you make the holes little bigger, and grains aren't usually straight, you may not have to worry at all.

 

[tgm1024]

I usually do your 2nd option although the bottom board shares the same problem. If you make the holes little bigger, and grains aren't usually straight, you may not have to worry at all.

BTW, the cracking potential isn't limited to the right, it's on either side of the bolts, dramatically weakening the join.

Thanks for the "usually"; makes me feel less nuts.

Regarding grain: But given the spacing of the holes though, the grains would have to curve quite a bit to not intersect it's neighbor in option 1, no? I'm not sure I've ever seen PT quite that messed up---the farthest these things are spaced is maybe 3 1/2" horizontally.

Bigger holes: I hadn't considered that as particularly big mitigator: How does that prevent cracks under load? Because of the nature of the circle? In this current design, it's using 4 bolts, each 5/16th" stainless.

 

[huesmann]

Drill holes for your bolts and there will be no cracking.

 

[tgm1024]

Drill holes for your bolts and there will be no cracking.

I always pre-drill for bolts. And it's through-bolted (not lag screws). The boards are joined on the flat; Lags wouldn't have enough purchase on the receiving board, unless going all the way through, and that's gross.

The problem is that when two bolts (even pre-drilled) share the same grain, a crack can form from that grain when there is a heavy load pressing down on the bottom rail. Especially with PT.

I think my (and carpdad's, above) solution I've been using is going to be the one that works. I can't see an alternative.....I just would rather avoid it because a squared off bolting pattern looks a lot "cleaner".

 

[Marson]

Not sure you're gaining much by using four bolts. Two might be stronger if you take the potential for splitting into account.

 

[tgm1024]

Not sure you're gaining much by using four bolts. Two might be stronger if you take the potential for splitting into account.

Good point, but I discovered that two allows for the boards to warp away from each other, creating a gap that often just fills with water and snow, and debris, etc.

Everything made out of PT sooner or later wants to become barber poles...

In any case, THANKS EVERYONE! It was good bouncing thoughts off of you all!