As far as i'm aware the best timber to avoid rot in the ground (as in fence posts) is sweet chestnut. Modern tanalising is nowhere as good as real creosote. farmers around here used to stick the posts in barrels of creosote and pitch. Now frowned upon.

Short of using Ebony or a dark piece of African Blackwood your stain option is really the only way to get a tarred look though laminating dyed veneer could be a possibility.

Maple being dense does not take a stain too well like beech so I would probably go for something like Leberon Pallet dye rather than a spirit based stain as it has a bit more pigment in it. You may find the dye wears off with use as its not going to soak in very far but I don't expect you to be doing too many laps of teh rally field with the Boydell. Something darker to start with like American Black Walnut would not show the wear as much as the lighter coloured maple would.

J

Oak and chestnut heartwoods are almost identical in appearance (save the oak medullary rays) and tannin content leading to similar durability although chestnut shrinks and expands slightly less.

…but oak has superior properties in terms of strength, flexibility etc and is heavier. So, I'd be very surprised if these shoes weren't made of oak heartwood. Sapwood rots very easily and quickly.

I'd also be surprised if there'd be much benefit in additional preservative as it would wear off quickly at least on the underside.

Seasoned oak heartwood will last for years untreated provided it's either always wet or always dry, it's the repeated wet/dry cycle that leads to deterioration. The problem with preservative coatings like paint/tar etc is that they can often let in and then hold moisture that would otherwise run off and dry quickly and that can encourage rot.

I'd stick to the natural maple or lightly colour with perhaps a light oak stain. although the end grain will tend to go "over" unless you're careful.

HTH

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 15/02/2016 16:33:45

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 15/02/2016 16:42:55

Brian,

I have no idea if it was full-size practice, but you might consider using Hornbeam.

This was commonly used for the inserted teeth in composite [with cast iron] gear-wheels in Windmills and Watermills … It is very tough.

MichaelG.

.

Flitwick

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 15/02/2016 18:57:34

Ash is a nice chewey sort of wood which is as hard as oak etc.

Elm would get my vote. They made water pipes form it and it lasts well. Nice fine grain so would look good too.

Ian

Had a word with my mate Barrie last night and he agrees with me that on the original engine the wood would have been untreated and the wooden pads regarded as sacrificial items. Although the intention of using a 'track laying' wheel would have been to handle soft ground some abrasive action would always occur which would in consequence eventually require the replacement of the pads. Any surface treatment would soon be worn away and abrasion and wear would 'do for' the pads faster than any deterioration due to rot.

So if you want an authentic look I would agree with your close grained species and possibly leave the wood unfinished. If you really want to colour it aim for natural oak and maybe give it a wipe over with danish oil which would seal the surface an give a matt finish.

regards Martin

PS Barries family ran traction engines in Norfolk as threshing contractors.

Sorry but I've heard enough about elm

Elm's a traditional material for coffins and pipes because they stay wet. They even found Roman elm pipes in York during archaeology digs. Under those conditions it will not rot

…but these pads are above ground and will be alternately wet and then dry. Under those conditions elm is no more durable than anything else. Added to that, it is actually quite soft and so would wear away in this application in no time IMHO.

Where elm also gets used is in the hubs of cartwheels and anywhere else where split resistance is a prized property but I can't see that being useful in this application.

For modelling purposes it'd be hopeless too IMHO because the figure is too bold and big.

I agree that the contact with cast/wrought iron would create black staining in oak but that tends to be pretty localized IMHO depending how old the pads are supposed to be on the vehicle.

HTH

Jon

No, they banned it because it is a pretty nasty carcinogen and can be imbibed even through touch. It is harmful to the environment especially if it enters the water table and since it never really dries completely the effect lasts long after application – a particular problem with telegraph poles and fence posts. The funny thing is it's still used for telegraph poles though I think basically because it's the best preservative and big business can ignore such bans in practice.

I agree that nothing's quite as good as creosote for preserving wood but timber is actually cheap enough and is sustainable after all.

Jon

Creosote is also excellent for persuading squirrels not to visit your loft. They hop it like a commuter running for the last train.

Dennis

I wonder if the ban is simply partial because if the creosote is used with proper precaution it isnt necessarily any more dangerous than alot of other high VOC preservatives, i mean, they can link flux fumes to cancer and even simply cooked food.

Michael W