martin_sole Posted 22 April , 2020 Share Posted 22 April , 2020 Could anyone explain why Great War era duckboards seem to be constructed asymmetrically? One side always has the supporting beam much closer to the edge than the other side. Every photo shows the same thing. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 22 April , 2020 Share Posted 22 April , 2020 So they fitted together end to end if the beams were parallel they would not interlock. Lay one one way and the next the other they then butt up to each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_sole Posted 23 April , 2020 Author Share Posted 23 April , 2020 18 hours ago, 303man said: So they fitted together end to end if the beams were parallel they would not interlock. Lay one one way and the next the other they then butt up to each other. That makes perfect sense. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 23 April , 2020 Share Posted 23 April , 2020 In example to above: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 I'm thinking this might give a better demo of the principle. Here you can clearly see a Duckboard being carried and how the runners underneath are specifically placed off-set. By cropping and spinning a portion of the board you can see how one would meet up with another to interlock them. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANZAC_Andy Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 Does anyone know what size of boards were used to construct these? I want to build my own replica and would love some dimensions so I don't have to just eye-ball the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 This image is from this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANZAC_Andy Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 Wonderful thread, there. Thanks for sharing. Any info on what type of nails were used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Nails_Hardware_Age.php All you need to know about the humble nail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30028121 An original example of a Duck board or Trench Grating from the IWM collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 24 April , 2020 Share Posted 24 April , 2020 Here's what the REs were producing. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANZAC_Andy Posted 3 May , 2020 Share Posted 3 May , 2020 Well, my replica duckboard has been built and is now going through an aging/weathering process. My goal is to have a unique piece for my office I can hang field equipment off of. In other news, after studying period photos it seems there was a big variation in buckboard construction. It seems many did not have the "taper" of the two runner boards, and there was variation in how many of cross planks were used. It seems once the Sgt turned his back the men making these things took some shortcuts or made due with the materials they had. I doubt many of the folks building them had access to the RE blueprints like we do. Thanks for the help folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 6 May , 2020 Share Posted 6 May , 2020 On 03/05/2020 at 19:25, ANZAC_Andy said: In other news, after studying period photos it seems there was a big variation in buckboard construction. It seems many did not have the "taper" of the two runner boards, and there was variation in how many of cross planks were used. It seems once the Sgt turned his back the men making these things took some shortcuts or made due with the materials they had. I doubt many of the folks building them had access to the RE blueprints like we do. I would agree with you Andy. I wasn't aware duckboards were ever constructed with tapered runners until that diagram was posted. Most photographs I have ever seen, seem to me to clearly show two parallel runners with one runner set in about twice the distance the other is on the opposite side. I would suggest that this pattern would have quickly become a standard because it would be considerably easier and quicker to make, and when made up, two could be stacked back to back with ease. David David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasemuseum Posted 7 May , 2020 Share Posted 7 May , 2020 Remember that the quality of construction would have been pretty rough. Mostly using whatever timber was available from allocated forests in UK & France. Timber getting by Army Forestry Companies. Rough sawn using steam driven circular saws, probably not too concerned at the quality of timber and accepting pieces salvaged from the flitches. Green timber would have been used to make the duckboards, without any attempt at kiln drying or ageing. Cheers Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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