I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks.
does anyone have experience or advice?

My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would
have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green
oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x
4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving
blocks.

I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative,
creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up.

I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I
suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think
they needed watering in dry weather.

tim W

"Tim W" wrote ..
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks.
does anyone have experience or advice?

My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would
have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green
oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x
4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving
blocks.

I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative,
creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up.

I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I
suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think
they needed watering in dry weather.

Used to make roads of these in the old days, much quieter with the iron
bands on the carts and horses hooves. I remember seeing a photo of trams or
was it trolley buses in Isleworth stopped because the Thames had flooded and
all the wood blocks were floating away.
Must be something on the web about it.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Tim W wrote:
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden
blocks. does anyone have experience or advice?

My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they
would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts
from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they
might
be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and
wackered just like paving blocks.

I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil,
preservative,
creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up.

I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the
streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less
cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather.

tim W

Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were
rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at
this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in
creosote.

I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you
I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather. My guess --
but it's only a guess -- is that they'd need to be thicker than 2-3
inches. With the end grain exposed, any movement would be sideways
rather than upwards, but movement there certainly will be. Perhaps
some tramway website will have specifications.

The end grain would give a little grip, but would the blocks perhaps
be rather slippery when wet? I wonder, too, if it might be much
harder to get green algae off them.

Elm, of course, is famous for water-resistance: I wonder how easy it
is to get, though.

--
Mike.

On 21/5/05 11:41, in article , "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

Tim W wrote:
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden
blocks. does anyone have experience or advice?

snip
The end grain would give a little grip, but would the blocks perhaps
be rather slippery when wet? I wonder, too, if it might be much
harder to get green algae off them.

Elm, of course, is famous for water-resistance: I wonder how easy it
is to get, though.

I think this might not be what the OP wants as a finished effect, but you
can buy squares of decking type planks which have a ribbed finish to
increase 'grip'. Those laid with the ribbing 'stripes' in alternate
directions could give an interesting effect. From memory, they're about 18"
square.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
Tim W wrote:
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden
blocks. does anyone have experience or advice?

My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they
would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts
from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they
might
be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and
wackered just like paving blocks.

I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil,
preservative,
creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up.

I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the
streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less
cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather.

tim W

Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were
rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at
this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in
creosote.

I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you
I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather. My guess --
but it's only a guess -- is that they'd need to be thicker than 2-3
inches. With the end grain exposed, any movement would be sideways
rather than upwards, but movement there certainly will be. Perhaps
some tramway website will have specifications.

The end grain would give a little grip, but would the blocks perhaps
be rather slippery when wet? I wonder, too, if it might be much
harder to get green algae off them.

Elm, of course, is famous for water-resistance: I wonder how easy it
is to get, though.


Thanks,

Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for
fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is telling
me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so maybe
3" or 6" cubes would be the thing.

I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street
cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or if
there is a very good reason why this is never done.

Tim W

Tim W wrote:
[...]
Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak
for
fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct
is
telling me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will
curl up so maybe 3" or 6" cubes would be the thing.

I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old
street cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and
original idea or if there is a very good reason why this is never
done.

Been thinking about it some more, and I think they'd have to be
absolutely soaked in preservative: oak's good, but it's not _that_
good. As it's short end-grain pieces the stuff should soak in well;
but only after the wood's well dried; and I think it would tend to
wash out, so you might have to re-treat as often as every year, right
during the long dry spell when you most want to sit out on it. You'll
want very good drainage underneath, too.

I'm becoming a little sceptical. I still think it's a great idea,
though.

--
Mike.

Janet Baraclough wrote:
[...] http://www.virtualhuddersfield.com/m-pl-vie.htm..is that
what you
mean by the rectangles?

I got a 404.

Here you are; wood cobbles on

http://www.timberdeckingco.co.uk/page23.html

Those look like sawn-off softwood. Much easier than square or
rectangular oak blocks, as the gaps will absorb any movement.

or better still, get the lowdown from the horses mouth at urg's
very
own

www.pavingexpert.com/ grdnpav1.htm

What a man, eh? Forget about the formidable technical knowledge,
that's a lesson in web design I wish a lot of other people would
study. But the full URL above also 404ed me, and I couldn't find wood
from his home page. Any tips?

--
Mike.

"Tim W" wrote in message
...

Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for
fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is
telling
me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so
maybe
3" or 6" cubes would be the thing.

I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street
cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or
if
there is a very good reason why this is never done.



On Grand Designs (Channel 4) last year, they showed a new timber framed
house built using green oak. The owner said it creaked as it dried out and
showed splits in the timbers.

Although they weren't serious, given the size of the beams, you might find
your patio breaking up over the summer months.

--
Regards,
Alan

Preserve wildlife - pickle a SQUIRREL to reply.

Tim W wrote:
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden
blocks. does anyone have experience or advice?

My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they
would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts
from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they
might
be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and
wackered just like paving blocks.

I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil,
preservative,
creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up.


Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were
rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at
this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in
creosote.

I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you
I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather.
Thanks,

Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for
fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is
telling
me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so
maybe
3" or 6" cubes would be the thing.

I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street
cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or
if
there is a very good reason why this is never done.

Tim W
The wood will move with moisture changes and rot in contact with the
ground.Unless you turn it into the nearest thing to asphalt! By leaving gaps
deliberately ,as in decking, any movement will be hardly obvious.I believe
the Romans used the wetting of wood to split stone.