Planing tanalised wood

[TheSandman69]

The Mrs wants that cedar slat fencing, but being the eternal mingebag that I am, I was hoping to just get rough sawn tanalised 4x1 lengths and, using a hired wood thickener, smooth them down to a nice planed finish.
1) Is this wood ok to work with in that manner or will it chew it up?
2) Will the treatment go deeper than the top layer I'm planning on taking off? I think I read somewhere that it goes deeper than the actual stain of it (which appears to be only a couple of mm deep) If that's the case obviously it's pretty pointless!

 

[Burnerman]

Only from my experience this....
Rough sawn fencing boards are fine for their purpose.....they will go through a planer and that will smooth things to a degree but as the grain comes to the surface you will get the odd rough patch. This can be sorted by sanding but if course it will never be as good as the cedar which usually has beautiful straight grain.
The ‘pressure treatment’ these days is never as good as the traditional toxic stuff, but when I go through timber lengths with my chop saw it would indicate to penetrate well.....hardly surprising as the timber is grown at the speed of light and dried similarly. The grain is so open that the timber is well porous.
After any machining it does no harm to give the timber an extra coat of treatment but whatever you do, don’t let the open ends sit on soil. A grooved capping will help cast water from the top.
John

 

[TheSandman69]

Cheers mate, music to my ears

 

[foxhole]

But will only last a few years.

 

[TheSandman69]

But will only last a few years.

Until it needs oiling or painting?

 

[foxhole]

Until it needs oiling or painting?

Until it rots.

 

[TheSandman69]

You don't think that if it's maintained, like say reoiled or painted every couple if years, it will last longer?

 

[Burnerman]

A softwood pressure treated fence will last quite well - you can extend its life greatly by applying one of the wood preservatives available.......Sadolin being one of the best.
A cedar fence will last very well indeed, but it will turn black/grey and cup and split - none of which is any big deal.
Whatever material you choose, keep the plank ends clear of the soil at all times.
You might like to consider the choice of posts (minimum 4") - which will be the first things to succomb to water. Its been mentioned somewhere on the forum about a sleeve that goes over the post end before it goes to ground and I'd certainly look at those. Unfortunately I didn't know about these things until my last fence was done
John