Composite Sleeper Versus Timber

[John1]

The other day I was going to Bunnings to buy some small hooks and a clip. Did however buy two P&N drill bits to replace ones I had broken as they were on Sale for a couple of bucks as well 

I had enough time before Pam would pick me up, so I went outsider to check them out. Sure enough they where a Composite  and I like them very much No they did not have the grain of wood but their grain was pleasing and the ends where capped and the cap didn't detract from the overall appearance.

Pam picked me up and after grumbling about having Ryobi One in with sale items with the everyday price quoted (no it did not say sale price but it didn't say everyday price either). I decided to investigate these  further and Looked up the Bunnings sight and  stated "It is made from over 90 percent reclaimed timber, bamboo and recycled plastic (high density polyethylene)" Oh no mould and bamboo go hand in hand. They still look good though. 

I then went to the site of the manufacturer to get alittle more info on what the ingredients are. Ekologix obviously knew the down side of having bamboo as an ingredient. There it was  stated "bamboo has been excluded from the formula to reduce the risk of mould." You beauty. My back path make over is looking good so Bunnings though I do not forgive you for that little trick that not just you but all retailers use of mixing in everyday priced items in with sale items.

I will be buying some of these little beauties. Yeah for recycling.

[Andy_Mann]

@John1

I've been wrangling over what to do about replacing our old sleepers, & agree, the composite sleepers look really promising. Just the fact that they'd be lighter than the real deals is very appealing to me, plus they don't warp.

I like that the price is comparable to wooden sleepers, but I just had a sneaky idea, they're hollow, so what if I used a jigsaw, or circular saw along each side, to slice them to half heigth? Double the number of sleepers, as our existing ones are part buried anyway. : )

[John1]

Andy see the Ekologix site I would give you a link but it took me ages of watching Pam before I tackled sending a photo. I don't think I would cut it directly down the centre but if I could cut it along one edge of a supporting upright I would and the half missing the Upright replace with a length of hardwood. Which in effect would replace the missing one also replacing the strength so it wouldn't warp in along the unsupported side The length should stay warp free. 

[Andy_Mann]

@John1

Ah, I can see now, & I shoulda known better, the hollow internal section is divided into 4, with 3 internal length-wise braces. : (

http://www.ekologix.com.au/ekologix-sleepers/

Mind you, it's still do-able. How about standing 3 sleepers next to each other, on edge, on top of some wooden boards that are placed so that the sleepers lay across them. Then, fit vertical blocks (shorter than the height of the sleepers) on the support boards to hold the sleepers snuggly together. It's important to just hold the sleepers in position, rather than clamping them, as the saw may bind while cutting. Then set up a saw guide on top of the sleepers, to cut along the length at whatever thickness you'd like the sleeper to be.

There's more I could add, but for now I hope that what I've written has made sense (not one of my better thought processing days).

[John1]

Andy

No problems it's definitely doable which ever way you tackle it and it eliminates rot even if it is placed into the ground. 

[Trying]

Hello to you @John1,@ Andy_Mann. You may remember my post of a month or so back about using composite decking. This was the product I was interested in only in decking timber rather than sleepers. The bamboo element was what concerned me but if you have established that is no longer included,I think I'd be good to go ! I do love the look of the product  and no warping, rotting or maintenance ??  I'm sold !  I'll check        with the manufacturer tomorrow myself just to be certain it applies to decking as well as sleepers. Thanks guys. Cheers.

[Brad]

Only problem I can see is that it is non load bearing.
Puts an end to the dream of using them for decking frames. Can use bolts with them to make post and rail joints with a 3mm expansion gap and they recommend silicone in the end caps.
Sort of info that should be provided at the POS but isn't.