Is there a way to flip it over and put the wood in contact with dirt? Perhaps dig a pit to clear the fifth wheel. Then walk away for a few months, and let the termites do the job for you. :-)
I understand that this is how the aborigines in Australia bore the holes through branches to make didgeri-doos -- the termites eat out the soft center wood, leaving the rest as a nice hollow chunk of wood, albeit a bit uneven.
Good Luck, DoN.
Yea, but they're also listed as suitable for use with the new ACQ treated lumber. Note that the galvanized ones listed in the same section are a lot cheaper.
On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:18:34 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, "Pete C." quickly quoth:
Yeah, I laughed at the description of the coating until I read the description. I work with that wood a lot and keep quarts of both brown and green preservative/dyes to coat cut ends. The safe coatings are expensive: $24 for 5# of coated 2-1/2" deck screws.
To be cleared to work with ACQ, galvanized hardware has to be triple dipped. I have some joist hanging nails which are, and it's an ugly process comparatively. Dacronizing is much sweeter to look at and work with, but it's not thick enough (anti-corrosively) for ACQ use.
-- The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man. -- Euripides
How much det cord do you have access to? Or Trim Stick?
Lay a run of 100gr det cord along the top of the wood, stapling it down with a basic T55 wire stapler, making sure you put the line of det cord between the lines of fasteners. Cover with about 6" of sand, stand clear and detonate the det cord. Some of the sand will have been removed, but the wood will have been largly reduced to easily removed splinters and the remaining fasteners will be easy to cut off with an air chisel.
Blow off the remaining sand and splinters with compressed air.
Gunner
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