[bobgodd]

Hello all. Very new to any kind of wood working, but with the right set of instructions I feel quite capable.

So a neighbor put this old hammock out on the curb and it didn't look too terrible so my wife and I decided to carry it home. When I finally got around to inspecting it there is quite a bit of rot and some things will definitely need attention; it definitely wasn't maintained well. I picked up my orbital sander from harbor freight (unfortunately that's all I've got lol) and barely made a dent in it after 20 minutes of sanding.

I want to know how to fill these cracks or if I should just seal it somehow to prevent further cracking. I don't really think I should sand too much past this point because the cracks are probably a lot deeper than the point in which I'd like to sand to. I've attached two pics, one is what all the surfaces look like, and one is my pedestrian sanding job. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[RocNap]

old hammock

Hi bobgodd,

Those look like 2”x4”’s, if so it might be less work… and money to just replace them with new – that way you can stain, and then put whatever protective finish you want and it will look real good.

You can get the type of wood grain you want, as well as the color and type of finish.

This of coarse depends on how many pieces there are… or if you just want to revive them for a project to do.

 

[bobgodd]

Sorry if that picture is really huge. This is exactly what the hammock looks like. I'm not really interested in making it look incredible, so much as I am interested in making sure that I don't come crashing through it LOL.

The beam structure looks to be 4 1x4's laminated to each other. The top beam is the one with the most damage, but there's some rot between some of the other beams also. I was planning to dig out the rotted area with my Dremel and filling it with epoxy? If this thing turns out to not be salvageable it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would definitely be nice to be able to fix it all nice like.

 

[Steve Neul]

The wood looks like yellow pine to me. If it was me I would ignore the cracks for now. They probably don't run very deep. I would start over and use 40 or 60 grit paper and see if you can work more of the surface off and take out some more of the stains. Then it will have major scratches in it so you need to gradually in stages go from the coarse sandpaper to finer and finer paper until you get to at least 180 grit. 220 would be better. Once you get above 120 it would aid your sanding if you would wipe the wood down with a damp cloth to raise the grain. This would better enable you to rid yourself of the scratches and swirl marks caused by the coarse paper. Then when you get close to the last sanding you could fill the cracks that are left with any wood putty. Personally I would rather fill the cracks with the finish. It will soak down into the cracks and bond the wood together better than just filling the surface with putty. If you plan to use the hammok outdoors again I would finish it with a spar varnish and apply a fresh coat annually or every two years depending on how much sun it gets.

 

[ryan50hrl]

With 40 grit on your sander it should go pretty quick, I'd leave the cracks alone until finishing, then make sure they're sealed well

 

[bobgodd]

I was using 80 grit, but I'll definitely go pick up some 40 and give that a shot.

 

[Steve Neul]

I was using 80 grit, but I'll definitely go pick up some 40 and give that a shot.

The reason I suggested more aggressive sanding is I refinished a deck last summer that looked just like the wood you have. I removed the decking boards and sent them through my planer and just took a 1/16" wood off and it completely removed the cracks. I believe the hammok you have if you could remove more wood it would pretty much clean it up. It's probably solid underneath. Then if you could keep a finish on it, it would last for many years.

 

[bobgodd]

The reason I suggested more aggressive sanding is I refinished a deck last summer that looked just like the wood you have. I removed the decking boards and sent them through my planer and just took a 1/16" wood off and it completely removed the cracks. I believe the hammok you have if you could remove more wood it would pretty much clean it up. It's probably solid underneath. Then if you could keep a finish on it, it would last for many years.

I picked up a pack of 40 grit quarter sheets and it is coming along MUCH faster. Still going slower than I'd like, but nothing a little patience won't fix.

The pic I posted in post #3 isn't of my actual hammock, but of one that looks like it. My actual hammock is in pretty rough shape the more I look at it. The top-most board on the two beams is delaminating from the board below it. What would be the best approach for binding the two back together? I was thinking putting some wood glue between the two, then clamping it, and while it's clamped run a few hex headed bolts through the beam structure in a few places and use fender washers or something on the bottom side with a nylon locking nut. If I place the bolts equidistant from each other it might look decorative lol... I dunno. I'm definitely open to ideas!

 

[bobgodd]

Also, I found this video on another website and am thinking of doing this to a couple of the rotted parts...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20460611,00.html

I have a Dremel I could dig the stuff out with - it's just a few small areas - but I don't know if this is a good [semi]permanent fix for something that will be bearing weight of at least one person, sometimes two...?

 

[Steve Neul]

I picked up a pack of 40 grit quarter sheets and it is coming along MUCH faster. Still going slower than I'd like, but nothing a little patience won't fix.

The pic I posted in post #3 isn't of my actual hammock, but of one that looks like it. My actual hammock is in pretty rough shape the more I look at it. The top-most board on the two beams is delaminating from the board below it. What would be the best approach for binding the two back together? I was thinking putting some wood glue between the two, then clamping it, and while it's clamped run a few hex headed bolts through the beam structure in a few places and use fender washers or something on the bottom side with a nylon locking nut. If I place the bolts equidistant from each other it might look decorative lol... I dunno. I'm definitely open to ideas!

Can you post a picture? Talk of delaminating and rotten parts makes the project questionable. It may take more work than it's worth. A lot depends on where the rotten parts are. Don't attempt to reglue a failed glue joint with wood glue. You would need a two part epoxy for that. The old glue seals the wood and if you reglue with wood glue it won't stay. Wood glue needs to be used on raw wood only.

 

[cabinetman]

The advice given is likely based on the photo you posted. If you could post a photo of the actual hammock that would be better. The wood in the photo looks like either Spruce or Douglas Fir to me.

.

 

[bobgodd]

Ok I decided to cheat a little and used the angle grinder with a flap disk to cut down sanding time. Here is a couple good pictures of the rotted areas. There are a couple more but these are the major ones.

 

[Steve Neul]

That doesn't look structurally very good to me. It doesn't look rotten however I think to salvage it I would probably take a flat bar and try to take the layers of wood apart. Then grind the old glue off and reglue it with titebond III. You would need a bunch of clamps to do this though as it should be done all at once.

 

[bobgodd]

I don't think I have enough clamps to make that work.. And I definitely don't want to buy more for this type of thing. Would filling the parts that are missing wood with epoxy filler not work?

 

[Steve Neul]

I don't think I have enough clamps to make that work.. And I definitely don't want to buy more for this type of thing. Would filling the parts that are missing wood with epoxy filler not work?

I figured that much. I don't think I have that many clamps myself without using my pipe clamps too. You could drill and countersink some holes and glue and screw the wood together. If you countersink the holes you can putty over the ones that show or put wooden plugs in the holes. The screws would take the place of the clamps.

 

[bobgodd]

Are you still referring to separate the boards, or just a way to hold together the ones that are separating right now?

 

[Steve Neul]

Are you still referring to separate the boards, or just a way to hold together the ones that are separating right now?

What I'm seeing in the pictures on post 12 it looks like where the boards are laminated together could be easily pried apart. Then clean off the old glue and then glue them back together. Since you don't have enough clamps I was suggesting you could use screws to pull the joints tight. I think this is the only way it would be structurally sound enough you wouldn't have to worry about it collapsing.

 

[bobgodd]

What I'm seeing in the pictures on post 12 it looks like where the boards are laminated together could be easily pried apart. Then clean off the old glue and then glue them back together. Since you don't have enough clamps I was suggesting you could use screws to pull the joints tight. I think this is the only way it would be structurally sound enough you wouldn't have to worry about it collapsing.

I have ten clamps, and one c-clamp I could use with some scrap wood between... How close do you think the clamps should be to each other should I try this? Would probably be 4 or 5 inches between each I think.

I guess I'm apprehensive when it comes to taking everything apart unless I can accomplish the task properly. Sorry for the newb questions lol.

 

[Steve Neul]

I have ten clamps, and one c-clamp I could use with some scrap wood between... How close do you think the clamps should be to each other should I try this? Would probably be 4 or 5 inches between each I think.

I guess I'm apprehensive when it comes to taking everything apart unless I can accomplish the task properly. Sorry for the newb questions lol.

I wouldn't try to figure spacing. When you assemble it there will be some places that need more clamps than others. You kinda have to look at the joint and clamp where needed. You will use all the clamps so just plan on getting the worst spots. The most important thing to do is make sure you put it back together the same way it came apart. Sometimes I use a pencil and number and mark how something like that comes apart so it goes back the same.

 

[Steve Neul]

If you are not going to take the wood apart I would try to pry the wood apart enough you could work some slow set epoxy between the boards. You could use a artist spatula to work the glue between and then use bolts spaced about a foot apart to draw it together. Also use what clamps you have to tighten it up as much as possible.

Someday when you are equipped better you might use the hammok as a pattern and just make a new one.