Timber Ties

[JeffPeterson]

Anybody know where I can get more then the standard 6 inch ties, I've heard of 8 twists before.

[Matt Van Weele]

Try a store that specializes in commercial building supplies.

[chrisof4]

I am confused by your question. I have encountered three types of timber ties, ones with 5 twists/nail, ones with 8 twists/nail, and ones with 12 twists/nail. However, all of them are 6" long.

To find the 8-twist ones, you just have to shop around. I found mine at Lowes. The local Home Depot is currently selling the 5-twist, and I found my 12-twist TT's at the local Ace Hardware store. I hope that helps.

[climber511]

I have 7 and 14 twist at present - I've had 12 twist in the past, haven't seen any 5 twist yet. It seems there are a lot of different twist timber ties out there - look around - in my short experience, the more twists, the harder they are to bend. My 7 twists go about 190 # and the 14 twist go about 230#.

[JeffPeterson]

So the more twists the harder. Sorry about the 6 inch comment I assumed the more twists the longer the tie. Are these about the same price or the more twists themore expensive? If I called around would the workers recognize the roduct if I call them 8-twist timber ties?

[chrisof4]

Not to add to your confusion, but be careful of the concept that more twists = more difficulty. That is not always true. Of the the three different twist types my training partner and I have tried, the 5-twist/nail are the most difficult. The 12-twist are the next least difficult, and the 8-twist are by far the easiest.

My experience with the people at the hardware store is that few of them even know what a timber tie is, much less how many twists they have.

Also, they should all cost the same. The manufacturer does not have different stock numbers based on how many twists the nails have. I went to their website, hoping these were all different products, but they are not. As far as I can tell, the variations are caused by the manufacturing process. Maybe the production machines are set differently, or perhaps they are manufactured in different facilities.

[odin]

Chris, what is your experience with galvinized vs. non-galvinized timber ties with the same # of twists?

[chrisof4]

Odin,

I have not found any non-galvanized nails, so I can't answer the question. The 8-twist, and the 5-twist I have both have shiny galvanized finishes. The 12-twist TT's have a dull, powdery galvanized finish.

Have you tried the non-galvanized TT's? What was your experience. If you have any, I would be willing to exchange some with you.

[odin]

Chris, I bought a box of galvanized TTs from Lowes to use when the urge to begin bending overtakes me. I am waiting until I deadlift The Blob and perhaps achieve some other goals first.

I may give them a try around June 1st, unless someone close to B'ham entices me to learn before then. I usually am pretty stubborn and learn everything through reading, but I've read about more people getting injured bending compared to other gripping pursuits. It might be smart to get some help at the beginning. I think I might be best suited for "Slim Style".

[chrisof4]

Odin,

If you haven't started bending yet, don't start until your other goals are met. Once you start bending, you will be hooked.

[Thaibox]

Chris hit the timbertie on the head. I have yet to find an employee that has any clue what a TT is. Employees are zero help in large hardware stores. Its usually the little Ma a Pa places that I find decent help.

I've also found the same result as Chris regarding the difficulty of twists. From my experience, it seems the fewer twists, the less difficult they are. But, most of my TT experience is with 5 twists.