looking for info on how to figure the arc or radius for a curved deck? cant remember the formula
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Learn more about the benefits and compliance details for the DOE's new water heater energy-efficiency standards.
Featured Video
SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than BeforeHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Need more information.
Woodbutch, What's your e-mail address? I can send you the formula, but I'm not computer literate enough to be able to figure out how to type it on this prospero format.
Are you just trying to figure how to make a curve, canterlever, or a round deck?
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Bob
That is a NICE deck! Good work. RZ
Thanks RZ - here is a shot with the decking on"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Awesome. Is that con common redwood? How do you cut the curves in the deck boards? I use a circ. saw. I mark some refrence points and "free-hand it point to point. The last deck i did was a compound curve too. I talked the home owners into con heart decking too! turned out really pretty. RZ
What do you finish your decks with? I used pentofin (sp?) rosewood oil base, i guess. It is really pretty, but kind of sticky, picks up foot prints.
We cut the curves with a worm drive. the deck is cedar with Superdeck stain. we use our new Patent pending" Slide n Scribe" for marking......................."Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Slide N Scribe!(TM) THat is great! Worm drive makes the best arcs, huh? RZ
I have to ask......
Does it also do ballaster pitches? Cause we all know where that will get ya! haha"Sir, if you were my husband I would poison your tea"
"Madam, if I were your husband I would drink it." Sir Winston Churchhill
is that koi fish i see under the bridge?
That pond is full of koi......We had to be very careful not to get any arsenic sawdust in the pond when we cut the treated. We covered the pond with tarps......."Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Just awesome! That is a hell of a deck... Just looks like it belongs there. Very natural looking.
You've got skill... Love your work.
The deck wants to have a curve like your small picture with the deck pivoy point coming from an inside corner of the house
very very nice
I just finished a rouded cedar deck for a machinist friend of mine. He wanted the same radius as an existing concrete patio. He got out a laptop plotted a few points on some drawing software and came up with the radius in about 5 minutes. Not that I couldn't have figured it out (eventually), but it saved me some trial and error time.
Rigid string nailed to the center point against the house with a pencil tied on the end. swing it around and you have a radius. The distance from nail to pencil is the radius. That is the simple way and simple is good.
Where y'all get that rigid string at? I needs me some a that stuff.Lignum est bonum.
wet it and freeze it. LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
that's a speshal order string that's soked in that thar veeagra.
When I built my circular deck, I made a trammel out of scrap wood. One end has a narrow piece of plywood with a hole to hook on a nail in the center point. The other end has another narrow piece of plywood with a hole for a pencil. In between is a strip of scrap pine the required length. By using solid wood instead of string, it is easier to keep the pencil from changing its verticle axis and throwing off the line. Plus, by drilling different holes for the pencil, you can use the same trammel for the edge of the rim joist, the edge of the decking, the outside of the rail, etc.
J Painter
Beautiful job Jpainter. What is the railing made of?"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Pro:
The railing is a combination of cedar rails and balusters and posts made of Koma, a pvc product you can buy as flat stock. After assembly the whole mess was painted to match. The structural component inside the wrapped posts is PT 4x4. The top rails had to be glued up with poly glue from 2x and 1x stock in order to get the thickness I wanted. Then I used a multistep machining process on a router table to get the profile.
I had never used Koma before, but so far so good. I've had temperatures as high as 90s and as low as 30s to date and there are no split seams or miters.
J Painter
I also used a wood trammel. Ripped the edge off a 2x4, nail on one end, pencil on the other. This marks where your joists where they need to be cut. I got a lot of help from a past Fine Homebuilding article...I forget the exact number issuse. This was my first time attempting a deck with a radius (in this case 5') but it proved to be fairly straight forward. Course, I'm the type that likes to have everything planned out before I even begin.
woodbutch777,
All radius for this deck plan start off as a full circle on the plan layout. I layout the design in the dirt using nails and string . Grid pattern overlay of plan is key to layout.
Using 2 reference lines, laid out on a X and Y axis from the house I was able to plot every detail of the deck. Knowing the out side edge of the deck made drilling the 56 holes for piles very easy. Each layer of deck supported the next.
The steps are 1x2 clear cedar.
Deck is six years old and is doing great.
Randy Chomistek , Calgary Alberta Canada
pic. of curved deck that is related to last email from decksm
Randy C
very nice work I really like the edge of the curve done so you dont see the end grain, i always edge band my decks to cover the end grain. How did you go about laying out that detail and have you done anything that detailed with IPE my choice for my project
woodbutch777
sorry I did not get back quicker. The curves were layed out on a x y grid pattern every 6" . and the edge banding was done using a guide system like the one use in the pics. on curved decks and a jigsaw. 3mths. and 2 jigsaws later we finished in march.
decksmith
beautiful,
are you steam bending the "treads" ?
beautiful
No, we did not steam bend. -25 degrees C outside the tarps so it was not a good method. I found if you picked end grain cut 1x2 and go really slow , 2 guys with nailer ,screws and pl400 it worked. But sometimes the piece would have a explosive release into the tarp. Do not stand on outside of bending member. I didn't think it would work but the deck steps still look good after 6 years. Inside curve was really easy and of course the smaller th radius the harder the bend.
Randy decksm