Pressure treated post caps
#17
I used locust, aged quite nicely, beveled per above posts.
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#18
Post caps flashed with lead or copper last longer. The metal deflects rain, and also leaches toxic metals into the wood. Copper and lead are biocides, meaning they kill living things. This is obvious on a roof with a lead flashed chimney. The roof will grow less fungus and moss below the chimney.

I have made post caps out of 8/4 sapele, and had caps made by a metal fabricator. Just cut out 5" blocks, shape the sides on a shaper, and band saw the top to a point. Soaking the caps with something like Sherwin Williams Storm Stain wood preservative, containing zinc, would be a good idea.
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#19
WOW, I am totally blown away at the price for even the aluminum ones. I put aluminum caps on all my fence post every 8 feet over a stretch of 300 ft and remember paying less than a dollar apiece for the caps, but that was 47 years ago!
George

if it ain't broke, you're not tryin'
Quando omni flunkus, moritati.
Red Green

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#20
You might check out Amazon, they have some copper post caps for about $5 each as well as these; ASA Resin, paintable, for about $50 for a case of 12.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KHX...i=13398151

(I wish I knew how to substitute a word for these lengthy links)

Look up the My Code section for the forum
https://www.forums.woodnet.net/misc.php?...help&hid=7

********
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Thomas A. Edison
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#21
Sorry to take so long getting to this thread. If you are still looking for a possible answer, here is what I did:
I tried for a long time to make wood post tops for my deck using a method similar to what Cooler posted. All materials I tried, including PT, eventually warped, cracked, and split. I finally found, at my local Home Depot, a quick set (minutes) concrete material that comes in 25# boxes and molded the post tops using it and then painted them. After curing, the material is very white. The material is very fine and the finished surface will mirror the surface of the mold; rough or smooth. I used a purchased plastic post top as a mold (I didn't need many. So, could make them one at a time). You can make molds from almost anything and in almost any shape. To fasten them in place, I just used a good sticky exterior caulking material (clear) to "glue" them on. You could also incorporate a wood block into the molded top to screw into from the bottom.
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#22
(08-23-2017, 08:45 PM)Willyou Wrote: Sorry to take so long getting to this thread. If you are still looking for a possible answer, here is what I did:
I tried for a long time to make wood post tops for my deck using a method similar to what Cooler posted. All materials I tried, including PT, eventually warped, cracked, and split. I finally found, at my local Home Depot, a quick set (minutes) concrete material that comes in 25# boxes and molded the post tops using it and then painted them. After curing, the material is very white. The material is very fine and the finished surface will mirror the surface of the mold; rough or smooth. I used a purchased plastic post top as a mold (I didn't need many. So, could make them one at a time). You can make molds from almost anything and in almost any shape. To fasten them in place, I just used a good sticky exterior caulking material (clear) to "glue" them on. You could also incorporate a wood block into the molded top to screw into from the bottom.

You could also cut up slate floor tiles (nearly black) or marble floor tiles (nearly white) to size and attach them to the post tops.  The marble tiles from Home Depot are $4.00 each.  

Ceramic tile would work too, but the edges would not be finished.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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