Garden Bridge

[jasonB]

I was originally asked to do some repairs to a small garden bridge and had laminated the new handrails from oak. On closer examinating it turned out the two main beams of the bridge were rotten so a new bridge it was.

The slats and handrail posts were from offcuts from the tree seat I made for the same client so I just needed a length of 400x75 Iroko for the two rails which South London Hardwoods were kind enough to rob from another customers order ( sorry if it was destined for a UKW Member) so there was no waiting for them to get more 3" board into stock.

The oak handrails are laminated from three 12mm thick strips bent over a simple former and glued with West Systems epoxy. Slats are held with stainless screws and pelleted.

Jason

 

[Paul Chapman]

That looks really nice, Jason.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Gary M]

Nice job Jason,
Is that a Koi surfacing under the bridge or a Troll :lol:
Cheers,
gary.

 

[Tusses]

Nice Job !

Looks like a good client to have too - nice grounds

 

[OPJ]

Very nice work, Jason!

 

[wizer]

Not Jealous of the craftsmanship OR the garden AT ALL, nope... :shock: :wink:

 

[dennis]

Nice job jason,out of interest how are the handrail supports fixed to the bridge as it looks as if you have either put an offcut off slat to look as if they run through under the handrail support or you have housed the support through the slats.

Dennis

 

[bluezephyr]

Nice bridge, Some people are lucky to have nice gardens, Some have a nicer job making things for nice gardens!

Whats the chances of the footway getting a bit green and slippery?

 

[jasonB]

Thanks for al the kind words, to answer a few of the questions.

Gary M
There are only a few koi but several hundred goldfish & orfe, the filters have only just been switched on so I will pop back in a week or two and take a pic of the feeding frenzie when a hand full of food is thrown in. I think you are looking at the oase skimmer not a koi breaking the surface.

Dennis,
The posts are just screwed in place, three up from th ebottom through the slat and two down through the rail.

bluezephyr
I've done a few bridges and find that if a gap is left between the slats they tend not to get too wet in the winter, got to be better than the old one which was gloss red!

Its not a bad garden, about 2 acres in total, the clients are not really gardeners but employ a guy for tree days a week who also looks after the swimming pool & hot tub and then they have two lady gardeners who come in one day a week. Just to give an idea of the size of the place the patio has just been relaid as well as a few paths, landscapers got through 375m2 of indian sandstone slabs. Also I have just redone the front room which they have spent in excess of £20k on.

Jason

Jason

 

[skipdiver]

Nice job Jason.

What's Iroko like to work with and is it expensive?Never used Iroko before but like the look of it.Thinking of doing some garden stuff with it.I take it outdoor use is suitable for this timber?

Bit of a daft question i suppose seeing as you used it for a bridge.

 

[jasonB]

Its easy enough to work with although it can contain quite a bit of silica which can be a bit hard on cutting edges.

The main problem is that some people react quite badly to it, I just get a slight sniffel, a search here for iroko will throw up som erecent threads.

As an idea of cost I was quoted for 14m run of 300nom x 68mm finish, width actually came in at 350-450mm and it cost me £946 inc VAT for the tree seat materials.

Yes it's good outside, probably the nearest you will get to teak.

Jason

 

[Karl]

Nice job Jason.

Did you apply a finish to the Iroko?

Cheers

Karl

 

[skipdiver]

Thanks for the info Jason.Will price some up for a garden table.

 

[jasonB]

Nice job Jason.
Did you apply a finish to the Iroko?
Karl

I gave it 4 coats of Ronseal Teak oil, first time i've tried it and it went on OK, will have to see what its like in the long term.

Jason

 

[staffie]

Iroko is a great outdoor timber. It looks great oiled but weathers to a silver grey over the years, even with oil. However its lasts and lasts. it can be sanded lightly every few years and oiled again to bring the look of the wood
back.

First time I used it was for a deck around a pond seven years ago and it gets wet all the time, regularly gets soaked from the pond overflowing. however there is no deterioration in the wood and it does not seem to rot either.

Jason,

That bridge looks great and the handrails must have taken some time to finish. How many layers did you use for handrails?

I want to try a round 8 seater outdoor table with integrated seating so lamination is the solution, just wondering if I could bend a six foot radius with 10mm layers using 2" iroko?

Any Ideas?