Post problem!

[Mark CH]

Hi All,
I set my posts in the ground and attached the bearers and joists some time ago. I've been waiting for my decking boards to come in and have just noticed that 2 of the posts (the end 2 out of 3) have started to twist slightly clockwise. The posts are all about 3 metres high and are cypress.
I'm about to attach a top board so I can tie the structrue back into the roof of the house and provide some shade with shadecloth.
Any ideas about how to get rid of the twist? I did think of attaching the board then pulling one back into line in order to attach it to the middle post, but then what to do about the other end?
Sorry if the explanation and woridng are not clear enough, I'm relatively new to this stuff!
The twist is only small but I would certainly notice it every time I set foot on the deck!
Any advice would be great!
Cheerio,
Mark

[Honorary Bloke]

Hi All,
I set my posts in the ground and attached the bearers and joists some time ago. I've been waiting for my decking boards to come in and have just noticed that 2 of the posts (the end 2 out of 3) have started to twist slightly clockwise. The posts are all about 3 metres high and are cypress.
I'm about to attach a top board so I can tie the structrue back into the roof of the house and provide some shade with shadecloth.
Any ideas about how to get rid of the twist? I did think of attaching the board then pulling one back into line in order to attach it to the middle post, but then what to do about the other end?
Sorry if the explanation and woridng are not clear enough, I'm relatively new to this stuff!
The twist is only small but I would certainly notice it every time I set foot on the deck!
Any advice would be great!
Cheerio,
Mark

Welcome to the world of wood! How long since you set the bearers and joists? If you give wood a chance it will do what it pleases. I have no suggestion except live with it. Sorry.

[brynk]

my old mate archimedes may be able to help...

you need to clamp a lever high up on the post that is long enough to reach some other stable point in your construction. use this lever to take the twist out of your post, then use another clamp to hold the lever in position while you fix off your verandah beam. with any luck, the bolts through the post into your verandah beam will keep the twist from returning, or at least make it less noticable.

another thing you can try is to seal the end-grains of your posts & other members with a paint, wax, oil, tar - anything! this will slow the moisture loss & uptake and may reduce warping and splitting.

having done these two things, you might still find the results disappointing - as the honorary bloke said, learn to live with it

r's brynk

[SilentButDeadly]

What Brynk said.........which is what I did too. Worked for me....mostly!!