Mollusks, Actually

So what are shipworms…and why and how do they cause so much damage? Shipworms (also known as Pileworms) actually are not really worms at all, but are rather a type of clam that has very small shells used for boring into wood in saltwater.

A marine bivalve mollusk (with 65 different species)…they get their name for their long, narrow, cylindrical bodies – resembling worms. However, upon closer inspection, you will find a small drill-like shell. This shell has two halves with a gap between them, like a clamshell. In the gap there is a muscular foot that acts as a suction cup, holding the shell in place while it’s razor-sharp edges scrape the wood ahead of it. Shipworms have long tubes that stick out into the water so the worm can breathe, and can also seal the worm in the wood in cases of extended periods out of water…low tides for example.

Up To 6 Feet Long

Also known as “Termites of the sea”, shipworms eat sawdust. The stomach of shipworms has a pouch for storing sawdust and an organ/gland full of bacteria that aide in digesting wood. The bacteria take nitrogen from the water and convert it to protein for the worms’ nourishment. The shipworm invades wood while still in the larval stage, making an entrance hall that is usually too small to see. It uses the shells on its head to burrow. The ridged, rough surfaces rub the wood away as the worm moves from side to side. This cuts away a perfectly circular tube that is just larger than the shell. The wormlike body follows behind the shell, producing a chalk-like substance to line the burrow. As they burrow deeply into the wood, they grow very quickly. As the worm grows, so does the burrow. Depending on the size of their homes, shipworms can range in size from 6 inches to as long as 6 feet.

Expensive Damages

Once a shipworm claims a home, it is there for life. A piece of wood may be infested with shipworm, but they will deliberately avoid each other’s tunnels. Instead they twist and turn their tunnels until the wood becomes a mass of tubes and holes, and eventually collapses. Shipworms are sometimes called the mollusk with the million-dollar appetite. These creatures are credited with single-handedly destroying the Hudson River piers in New York City. Researchers estimate that untreated timbers, such as pier pilings, exposed to Hawaii’s ocean waters will last less than two years.

A Positive Note

However, this incredible appetite has a purpose. Large amounts of wood get into the oceans by river deposits, forests and mostly, humans. Shipworms play an integral role in reducing the amount of driftwood in the world’s oceans.

How To Stop Shipworms

So, how do we stop the shipworms & protect our ships & wooden structures? By protesting at the White House? Not likely. Shipworms don’t like copper….so we can build using copper nails, or even copper sheeting. A cheaper and easier method is simply using CCA treated wood which contains copper (CCA = Chromated COPPER Arsenate).

Well, We Like Oysters

Or, we can eat them. In some places, shipworms are considered a culinary delicacy. In the Philippines, it is prepared as ‘kinilaw’ – eaten raw, with vinegar or lime juice & chopped peppers and onions…Similar to ceviche. The taste has been compared to a very wide variety of foods ranging from milk to oysters.

To offer the cheapest bulkhead materials you will find, Building Products Plus in Houston, TX has developed BulkheadMaterials.com (http://www.bulkheadmaterials.com) to promote their ultra low-cost vinyl bulkhead materials packages — especially for 3, 4, and 5 feet tall (exposed height) walls.

The prices are actually listed on BulkheadMaterials.com and include all wood and hardware required to build a basic vinyl bulkhead. The materials are shipped in what they call “ready to build” packages.

Vinyl Sheet Piling Has Become a Commodity

The vinyl sheet piling market has become thoroughly competitive during the last decade. 10 years ago there were only a few producers but now with abundant vinyl sheet manufacturers, advances in technology, and the spread of production knowledge vinyl sheet pilings have essentially become a commodity product.

Building Products Plus keeps prices low by maintaining relationships with multiple vinyl sheet piling producers and by purchasing opportunistically. The resulting low costs are passed to you. The manufacturer of the materials you purchase may vary but all vinyl bulkhead materials quoted on and sold from BulkheadMaterials.com meet minimum specified requirements for the wall size indicated.

Vinyl Bulkhead Design

To help plan your project, you will find some basic bulkhead design drawings on BulkheadMaterials.com at http://www.bulkheadmaterials.com/vinyl-bulkhead-design.htm. The drawings will be helpful for purchasing your bulkhead materials and understanding the basic elements of your wall.

Vinyl Bulkhead Quotes

You can get a quote for your specific wall, including delivery, by phone or online at http://www.bulkheadmaterials.com/contact.htm. Your quote will be created by an experienced project consultant who can help you make decisions about the best vinyl sheet piling lengths, best wood treatment levels, and hardware choices.

Keep Up with BulkheadMaterials.com

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Building Products Plus, LLP is a manufacturer and supplier of extended-life building materials for marine and shoreline, high-end commercial, and farm and ranch projects. Based in Houston, TX, Building Products Plus has been supplying long-lasting building materials since 1993.

The straw bale house is called the balehaus@bath and has set out to demonstrate the effectiveness of smart design and the use of renewable materials to decrease a home’s carbon footprint.

Straw – Renewable & Insulating
Straw is exceptionally renewable and has excellent insulating properties so it is a very energy-efficient building material when considering both production and the operation of the home. Additionally, hay (straw) can generally be grown locally (in most places) so carbon emissions from transportation are reduced as well.

Panels Resists Fire
Flammability tests of the pre-fabricated panels showed that they resisted fire very well – 4 times as long as required. Read more about that here.

See for yourself. Here’s the image gallery and you will also see a link to the “straw cam” where you can watch some videos of the construction.

The house is about more than just the straw bales. Design and other factors are considered as well. This might be one of many great options researchers find to develop greener homes for a “carbon-neutral” future.

It’s no secret I think American Pole and Timber is one of the coolest companies because of their ability to make just about anything and their willingness to say yes to just about any project thrown at them. There are not many companies that could handle the diversity of products American Pole and Timber handles but they have been doing it for nearly two decades now with steady growth.

Aside from their pdf of timber truss designs, you will be interested in the timber truss options they offer and, especially, how they ship exceptionally large timber trusses – timber trusses that are too large to fit on a truck assembled.

Shipping Large Trusses

Kind of off-topic here… They ship nationwide but some of their trusses are GIANT so they actually build the timber truss in their shop in Houston, TX (fully assembled) to ensure the truss is made properly and meets all the required dimensions and specs once assembled. They then mark each component and disassemble each truss for shipment. Depending on the client and truss, they will send one of their employees with the truss to guide and/or help with the reassembly on the job site.

After 10 years in and around the lumber business, I still think that’s pretty cool.

Think about it – “treated” wood with zero chemicals – 100% natural wood.

Thermally Modified Wood
Although thermally modified wood has been proven effective in Europe since the mid-90′s, it is new to the US where it took on the brand name Nature’s Choice. Developed in Finland, thermally modified wood is kind of baked (for lack of a better word) until the composition of the wood changes such that it is no longer attractive to termites, fungus, and other forms of decay. Using special kilns, the wood is heated for about a day to just below flash point and cooled using carefully timed applications of water to maximize its strength and longevity.

As Green As It Gets
Nature’s Choice (http://www.NaturesChoiceDeck.com) is as green as it gets. It is made of easily renewable southern yellow pine from managed forest land and produced in the heart of Amish country in production facilities that use relatively zero electricity. It’s seriously green from start to finish. It contains no chemicals so you don’t have to worry about your gardens, lawn, ground water, or kids. And, finally, since it is long-lasting the wood will not need to be replaced often. However, when you do replace it the wood can be thrown away, re-used, or even burned (unlike chemically pressure-treated wood).

This is the stuff dreams are made of, eco-speaking.

Physical Properties
Its strength is up to par, too. You can cut, drill, nail, screw, and everything just like regular wood. No special fasteners are required but you can use a hidden deck fastener system is you wish. In other words, it is regular wood – except, you know, with no chemicals.

Here are the stats from Nature’s Choice Deck technical info page.

Beautiful Appearance – Darker Color
Nature’s Choice is made of premium grade (better than #1) southern yellow pine so the boards are about 100% free of wane and nearly totally free of knots. The faces of the boards are different (one side smooth, the other grooved) and since the wood is so highly selected, the boards are essentially reversible.

The thermal modification process darkens the wood to a beautiful light-mahogany color. The picture above is unstained pine (really!). See the Nature’s Choice Deck website for more pictures. According to the guys at Building Products Plus, all of the pictures on the site (as of the date of this writing) are southern yellow pine. Hard to believe but see the comparison image here.

Dimensions & Availability
Currently, Nature’s Choice thermally modified wood is available in 1″x5″ (actual dimensions) deck boards. They say they will offer more in the future. In fact, they mentioned plans for large timbers made with the stuff and maybe even pilings. Yes, chemical-free pilings. These guys are kind of quietly leading their own green movement.

Expect to see more Nature’s Choice Deck in the future. People have been looking for this sort of thing and it’s finally here.

1. Great Wood – When building, use naturally decay-resistant or properly treated lumber for wooden decks and other outdoor structures. Don’t let untreated wood posts or lumber sit directly on concrete.
2. Clean Joints – Clean joints between deck boards or between a deck and any other structure so dirt & debris won’t hold moisture.
3. Downspouts Pointed Away – Aluminum downspouts and water run-off should be guided away from the deck.
4. Keep it Dry – Make sure that instruments you use for watering (hoses, sprinklers, etc..) not spray the deck.
5. Airflow – Since airflow is crticial, ensure that the underside of the porch breathes correctly. To prevent moisture buildup & wood degradation the space under the deck should not be completely sealed.
6. Keep it Clean – Don’t let leaves, barbeque grill covers, etc…. layout on your deck for long periods. Plants in clay pots sitting on the deck or porch can cause moisture pooling; likewise, plants and shrubs planted close can contribute to moisture and water buildup on and around your deck. This allows mold and moisture to develop underneath.
7. Stain Early, Often – Add stains and sealers before the deck looks like it’s needing it. Create a consistent schedule where you add the sealer so it’s consistently apllied before the wood starts getting dried out. These can treat the wood and prevent moisture from leading to rot.
8. Underdeck – If you have a 2nd story deck over a ground floor deck, make sure you get an underdeck drainage system to prevent additional wear to the bottom deck. With underdeck drainage installed, your primary floor deck can behave like a unenclosed sunroom on rainy days. The bottom floor can now also be used as an extra storage room.

I’m sure these ideas will help you keep your wooden deck beautiful for many years to come.

Easy to Use Hidden Fasteners
Most decks built in the past 25 yers have used the simplest deck building material, galvanized nails, to keep the boards attached to the structure. As a matter of fact, builders have used nails like this for decades and thought very little about other alternatives. Now, stainless steel hidden deck fasteners are becoming more popular and even have power tools to help simplify their installation.

Out of all the fasteners on the market TigerClaw is, by far, the most popular. You should know that TigerClaw Fasteners were created by a contractor who was irritated with the expense and intensive labor of other hidden fastening systems. With a free installation block in every box, these fasteners install faster and easier than other comparable fasteners. With all work done from the top, you can save more on labor costs than compared with other hidden fastener installations.

Constructed from heavy gauge stainless steel, strength and durability are assured. TigerClaw hidden deck fasteners offer resilient hold-down power for both synthetic decking materials & wood. They allow the natural qualities of the wood to be preserved and reduce splitting, splintering, cupping and rotting.

No Visible Nails or Screws
With many new composites and clear-grained wood decking available, blemishing a smooth, even deck surface with unsightly rows of screws or nails is becoming increasingly undesirable.

I know a growing number of contractors are aware of hidden deck fasteners, but the majority aren’t. This article’s objective is to raise consumer awareness, and to bring hidden deck fasteners into the mainstream market.

With hidden deck fasteners, you can produce a better looking, longer lasting, safer deck at an affordable price.

Contributed by James Monroe, DIY Home Center

If you are the type that really cares about quality, you might also read about how to build a fence that lasts.

Best Single Source for American Made Hardware

If you need specialty domestic hardware or large quantities, first call American Pole and Timber at (866) 397-3038 and ask for David Mayfield (as of 3-30-09). I think anyone there can help you but David seems to know the most about domestic hardware. They stock some American made hardware but their real strength is in the great network of suppliers they have built for everything from hex bolts to steel cables to shackles. They usually offer some of the lowest prices, too, so you might want to let them bid your entire project (especially if you need treated wood).

Specialty American Made Hardware Suppliers

• Hinges Made in the USA – Bommer Industries has quality hinges made in the USA. They also supply various postal boxes.
• Household Hardware – National Manufacturing manufactures a variety of “household hardware” from hinges to gate and garage door hardware and drawer pulls.
• QWKE Anchoring Solutions – An interesting anchor solution for small posts and poles. You can actually install this post anchor into dirt with your drill instead of using a post hole digger. Their website was down at the time of this writing.
• Maze Nails – Look for the yellow and red boxes. Maze nails are made in the USA.
• Dock Hardware – American made dock hardware.
• Industrial Fasteners – Nuts, bolts, and other American made hardware and fasteners.
• Astoria Wire & Metal Products – Wire, metal, and tubing products. Custom stuff, too.
• D.C. Mitchell – Assorted hardware from door knobs to hinges to drawer pulls and more.

There’s a great start. The most difficult American made hardware to find is usually the industrial and industrial-marine stuff. I don’t mean small stuff like dock cleats and pile caps. I mean big stuff like tie rods and dock washers. That’s why I listed American Pole and Timber first since they have that stuff.

If you know if other suppliers of “made in the USA” hardware, please leave a comment with their name and website and I will add them to the list.

BRISTOL, CT–(Marketwire – March 23, 2009) – Tiger Claw Inc. today announced the general availability of a new semi-automatic installation tool that dramatically reduces the already-quick installation of Tiger Claw’s groove fasteners. Professional builders and do-it-yourselfers can now build a beautiful nail-free surface deck four times faster than they can through traditional surface screwing. Tiger Claw’s fastener gun is currently the only pneumatic fastener gun on the market today.

The installation gun is used with Tiger Claw’s TC-G hidden deck fastener for pre-grooved boards.

“We recently attended the International Builders’ Show, in Las Vegas, and were thrilled to see the excitement in builders’ and journalists’ eyes when they saw and tried the new fastener gun,” said David Hartmann, president and co-founder of Tiger Claw. “They validated that we have a winning product in our hands. With the speed of the fastener gun, the ease of the TC-G hidden deck fasteners and the convenience of pre-grooved deck boards, builders can decrease their labor time, increase their profits, and ensure happy customers. It’s an ideal building package for those looking for beautiful, quick-and-easy-to-build, nail-free decks.”

The Tiger Claw hidden deck fastener gun was named one of the “Seven Top Picks” from the 2009 International Builders’ Show, by Allen Lyle, Co-Host / Producer of Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford.

About the fastener gun

The fastener installation gun drives a UFO Ballistic NailScrew® in like a nail, but can be removed like a screw. Simply slip the hidden deck fastener into the nose of the gun and position it in the groove of the board. The gun automatically enables perfect positioning of fastener and screw installation with the pull of a trigger. Builders now have a one-step installation process for hidden deck fasteners

Tiger Claw’s inventors say, when compared to manually inserting the hidden deck fastener into the groove with your fingers, the gun decreases installation time by about 50%.

About Tiger Claw Hidden Deck Fasteners

Tiger Claw offers a complete line of innovative and versatile hidden deck fasteners. The TC-1 is a coated steel hidden deck fastener and the TC-2 deck fastener is made of stainless steel. Both are ideal for soft woods and pressure treated lumber. The TC-3 is used with composite decking materials and medium density hardwoods, such as Meranti and Cambera mahogany. It may also be used with used with cellular PVC decking materials. The TC-4 is perfect for exotic hardwood decking lumber like Ipe and Teak. The TC-G offers the fastest installation available today with pre-grooved decking or square edge boards using a router or biscuit joiner. All Tiger Claw hidden deck fasteners are manufactured in the United States.

About Tiger Claw Inc.

Tiger Claw Inc. was founded in 1999 and currently offers seven hidden deck fasteners, including the Proclip Cellular PVC Fastener and the Trex Hideaway. Its products are designed to greatly increase the value of construction projects without significantly increasing overall project costs. Tiger Claw is headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.deckfastener.com or call (800) 928-4437.

“Sure,” said I. So, here it is.

Consumer Safety and Product Performance of Micronized Copper Technology Confirmed

GRIFFIN, Ga., Feb. 11 — On Feb. 9, 2009 in a negative public relations document apparently intended to scare users of treated wood, Charlotte, NC-based Viance criticized the effectiveness of micronized copper wood preservatives. “Viance is once again attempting to create unfounded concerns about consumer safety and product performance, using statistically insignificant and suspect data,” said Paul Goydan, President of Osmose, Inc.

Extensive laboratory and extended field testing have confirmed the effectiveness of micronized preservatives. Several world renowned scientists have confirmed the strong performance of this technically advanced preservative technology and have published their comprehensive findings, which support the micronized technology’s efficacy in providing wood protection for both above ground and ground contact applications.

So why this unfounded attack by a competitor? An attack based on an insignificant sample of a few posts selected by this competitor — out of the millions of posts in service? One might conclude the competition has not been able to create a viable alternative product to compete with our patent pending technology and the ever-increasing market penetration of the micronized copper preservative systems. Rather than offering similarly advanced technology, they have resorted to needlessly alarming the public.

MicroPro(R) Treated Wood Facts:

• Over 5 Billion board feet of MicroPro treated wood has been sold since the product introduction in 2006.
• Over 10 Million 4 x 4 micronized treated wood posts are presently in service and performing.
• MicroPro copper based preservative systems have been independently tested and evaluated in accordance with AWPA, ASTM and other internationally recognized laboratory and field test procedures.
• Micronized copper preservative systems are certified by the International Code Council Evaluation Service, Inc. (ICC-ES).
• Osmose’s micronized technologies have earned the Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).
• Osmose provides a Residential and Agricultural Limited Warranty on MicroPro treated wood products.

Bottom Line

Extensive laboratory and field testing has confirmed the effectiveness of micronized preservatives. International experts have confirmed the legitimacy of this technically advanced preservative technology and published their findings in support of it. Billions of board feet of micronized treated lumber are in service and performing. Since the introduction of micronized copper technology, Viance, the only copper based preservative manufacturer that does not have the micronized technology to offer, has waged a desperate campaign against it in an effort to discredit it. Meanwhile, more and more consumers and retailers continue to embrace the environmental and performance benefits offered by our technically advanced micronized products.

Since 1934, Osmose has produced quality, tested, reliable wood preservatives such as MicroPro. We fully stand behind our products and back them with industry leading warranties.

For additional information regarding MicroPro, please contact Osmose at (800) 241-0240 or visit http://www.osmosewood.com.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ — Findings on 4×4 posts at residential locations reveal dramatic evidence that wood treated with micronized copper preservative(MCQ(TM)) is decaying more rapidly than anticipated. These decay findings raise serious concerns about the structural integrity and safety of outdoor structures, such as decks and fencing, built with micronized copper preservatives within the last three years.

“We are very concerned about the safety of possibly millions of consumers whose decks and other structures were built with micronized copper-treated wood because the wood may be subject to early failure and possible collapse,” said Steve Ainscough, president and CEO of Viance, a leading provider of wood preservation technologies that refuses to offer micronized copper preservatives due to ongoing concerns about the technology.

Residential Findings in Southeastern U.S. Show Evidence of Significant Decay

Today’s announcement is based on Viance’s in-service findings of decay on 4×4 posts located in multiple residential locations near Atlanta, Georgia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Timber Products Inspection (TP), a leading independent and accredited wood products inspection and testing organization in the United States, supervised the identification, extraction and testing of the decaying posts at these locations.

TP’s reports describe numerous posts receiving a rating of “less than sound” on the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) rating scale. The decaying posts from these multiple subdivisions were rated at “9.5,” “9″ and “8″ on the AWPA’s scale of 1 to 10. One post removed from the Georgia location was rated a “7,” which the AWPA defines as having moderate to severe attack with 10 to 30% of the cross sectional area subject to decay. A decay rating of 7 or below is considered unserviceable by the building industry. TP verified that the average preservative penetration and retentions for the samples examined met the current retention requirements outlined in the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) requirements for MCQ products. The TP report is available in it’s entirety at Viance’s website; www.Treatedwood.com. Furthermore, TP’s reports indicate that the decay is present in the outside zones of the posts below the ground line, to a depth of nearly one inch on some posts.

According to Lee Gjovik, a widely published independent wood scientist, “Any decay on a post that’s only been in service for less than two years represents a significant amount of unexpected decay. Decay ratings of 9.0 or 9.5 should not occur until after many years of service.”

“Another cause for concern,” explains Ainscough, “is that the decay we’re seeing is below the line of sight where consumers may not be able to see or properly inspect the posts. A post’s strength comes primarily from the outer surface of the post, and it is also in this area that the preservatives are present and must prevent decay. The hidden or buried portion of a post must have preservatives that work and prevent decay or the post and structures will fail.”

These recent decay findings corroborate the results of Viance’s ongoing field tests, which were presented to the lumber and building products industries in the spring of 2008 and can be downloaded in their entirety at www.treatedwood.com.

An Overview Of Today’s Technologies

Micronized copper-treated wood products were first introduced to the marketplace in 2006. The manufacturers of micronized copper preservatives, Osmose(R), Arch(R) Wood Protection and PhibroWood(R), have not submitted any of these products to the AWPA for review or standardization. Micronized copper wood preservatives are sold to U.S. builders and consumers through more than 5,000 lumberyards and some leading national home center chains.

Viance remains committed to providing its customers with high quality, industry standardized preservatives, such as Preserve(R) ACQ(R) and Ecolife(R) Stabilized, Weather-Resistant Wood, and ongoing information, testing and investigations regarding the performance of micronized copper-treated products.

Viance LLC provides an extensive range of advanced wood treatment technologies and services to the global wood treatment industry. With an expertise in wood biocides and wood protection chemicals, Viance provides high-level product support to its customers to provide innovative, advanced solutions that improve the performance and durability of wood and wood products. Viance is a joint venture between Rohm and Haas Company and Chemical Specialties, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. For more information about wood treatment technology and Viance products, visit www.treatedwood.com.

SOURCE Viance LLC

Lumber Talk’s Commentary
CCA was a great chemical. It would be nice if its removal from residential use because of its scary-sounding ingredient arsenate could be substantiated with proof that it was actually harmful (not to wish harm to anyone). It would make the idea that we now use inferior products like MCQ a little easier to swallow.

Osmose’s Rebuttal
Please see Osmose’s MCQ rebuttal which they sent almost immediately after this posting.