Originally Posted by
schickster
I used wooden stands for years, but only lasted about 4-5 yrs. If you want to use wood make the complete thing out of treated 2 x 4 and use a good deck screw to hold them together.
Better yet, use both deck screws and galvanized nails. The deck screws hold tight, but are more brittle. The nails tend to give, but tend not to shear off. Treated is a must, and there must be regular inspections and replacement and reinforcement of components as needed. Always build wood stands with "backup components" - i.e. if one member/fastener should fail, another will carry the load.